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ILLINOIS  WATERWAY 

REPORT 


WITH 


,ANS  AND  ESTIMATES  OF  COST  FOR  A 
WATERWAY  FROM  LOCKPORT,  ILLINOIS 
TO  UTICA,  ILLINOIS,  BY  WAY  OF 
I  THE  DESPLAINES  AND  ILLI¬ 
NOIS  RIVERS. 


BY  THE 


INTERNAL  IMPROVEMENT  COMMISSION 

OF  ILLINOIS. 


1  909. 


SPRINGFIELD,  ILL., 

Illinois  State  Journal  Co.,  State  Printers 

1909 


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ILLINOIS  WATERWAY 

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Illinois  State  Journal  Co.,  State  Printers 

1909 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
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University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign 


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LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL. 


Chicago,  March  1,  1909. 

TIon.  Chas.  S.  Den  ecu,  Governor  of  the  State  of  Illinois: 

Sir — The  Forty-fifth  General  Assembly  enacted  the  following  legis¬ 
lation  : 

“A*n  Act  to  amend  sections  one  and  two  of  an  Act  entitled ,  ‘ An  Act  to  pro¬ 
vide  for  the  appointment  of  an  internal  improvement  commission  and  to 
make  an  appropriation  therefor approved  May  16,  1905,  in  force  July  1, 
1905.” 

Section  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  People  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  represented 
in  the  General  Assembly:  That  sections  one  and  two  of  an  Act  entitled,  “An 
Act  to  provide  for  the  appointment  of  an  internal  improvement  commission, 
and  to  make  an  appropriation  therefor,”  approved  May  1G,  1905,  in  force  July 
1,  1905,  be  and  the  same  is  hereby  amended  so  as  to  read  as  follows: 

1.  There  shall  be  appointed  by  the  Governor  a  commission  to  be  known 
as  the  Internal  Improvement  Commission  of  Illinois,  to  be  composed  of  three 
persons  of  high  practical  business  qualifications,  two  of  whom  at  least  shall 
reside  in  the  counties  contiguous  to  a  navigable  river  in  the  State.  At  the 
expiration  of  two  years  from  the  date  of  appointment  of  said  commission, 
successors  to  those  first  appointed  shall  be  appointed  by  the  Governor,  whose 
terms  of  office  shall  be  four  years. 

2.  The  duties  of  this  commission  shall  be  to  investigate  the  various  prob¬ 
lems  associated  with  a  projected  deep  waterway  from  Lake  Michigan  to  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  the  reclamation  of  lands  subject  to  overflow  or  inunda¬ 
tion,  the  construction  of  practical  and  substantial  levees,  the  ascertaining 
of  the  acreage  of  lands  now  subject  to  inundations  from  rivers,  the  increase 
from  benefits  to  be  derived  from  this  proposed  deep  waterway  and  reclama¬ 
tion  of  lands  subject  to  overflow  or  inundation  and  such  other  statistics  and 
data  as  will  intelligently  enable  the  next  General  Assembly  to  properly  formu¬ 
late  and  devise  ways  and  means  whereby  legislative  enactment  may  be  had 
to  carry  out  and  put  into  effect  the  benefits  to  be  derived  by  the  deep  water¬ 
way  from  Lake  Michigan  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  reclamation  of  lands 
subject  to  inundation  in  Illinois.  The  results  of  these  investigations  and 
studies,  together  with  all  obtainable  data  and  statistics,  to  be  embodied  in  a 
report  of  all  its  workings  to  the  next  General  Assembly.  Such  commission 
shall  receive  no  compensation  for  its  services  other  than  the  necessary  and 
legitimate  expenses  incurred  by  it  in  the  discharge  of  its  official  business. 

Approved  December  24,  1907. 

“An  Act  making  an  appropriation  to  the  Internal  Improvement  Commission 
of  Illinois,  to  be  used  in  defraying  the  necessary  expenses  of  said  commis¬ 
sion  in  reporting  upon  a  navigable  waterway  between  East  St.  Louis  and 
Cairo,  approved  February  21,  1908. 

Section  1.  .Be  it  enacted  by  the  People  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  represented 
in  the  General  Assembly:  That  there  is  hereby  appropriated  to  the  Internal 
Improvement  Commission  of  Illinois  the  sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars  ($10,- 
000.00)  to  be  expended  in  the  procurement  and  preparation  of  information 
needed  by  said  commission  to  enable  it  to  report  to  the  next  session  of  this 
General  Assembly  upon  the  practicability,  character,  and  probable  cost  of 
a  deep  waterway  between  East  St.  Louis  and  Cairo,  Illinois. 


IV 


Sec.  2.  The  Auditor  of  Public  Accounts  is  hereby  authorized  and  directed 
to  draw  his  warrant  from  time  to  time  for  the  moneys  herein  appropriated, 
upon  proper  vouchers,  certified  by  said  commission  and  approved  by  the 
Governor.” 

“An  Act  making  an  appropriation  to  the  Internal  Improvement  Commission 

of  Illinois,  for  the  purpose  of  repairing  and  strengthening  the  levee  at 

Shaivneetown,  Illinois,  approved  May  17,  1907. 

Section  1.  Be  it  enacted  ~by  the  People  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  represented 
in  the  General  Assembly:  That  there  is  hereby  appropriated  to  the  Internal 
Improvement  Commission  of  Illinois,  the  sum  of  seventeen  thousand  dollars 
($17,000.00)  for  use  in  repairing  and  strengthening  the  levee  at  Shawnee- 
town,  Illinois,  so  as  to  protect  said  city  from  floods  and  overflows  of  the  Ohio 
and  Wabash  rivers. 

Sec.  2.  The  Auditor  of  Public  Accounts  is  hereby  authorized  and  directed 
to  draw  his  warrant  from  time  to  time  upon  the  State  Treasurer  for  the 
moneys  herein  appropriated  upon  proper  vouchers,  certified  by  the  said  com¬ 
mission  and  approved  by  the  Governor.” 

On  February  20,  1908,  your  Excellency  reappointed  as  commissioners 
of  the  Internal  Improvement  Commission  of  Illinois,  Mr.  Isliam  Ran- 
dolph  of  Chicago,  Mr.  H.  W.  Johnson  of  Ottawa,  and  Mr.  H.  M. 
S'chmoldt  of  Beardstown.  At  a  meeting  under  date  of  February  25, 

1907,  Mr.  Randolph  was  made  chairman.  At  meeting  held  March  24, 

1908,  Mr.  Lyman  E.  Cooley  was  appointed  consulting  engineer  and  Mr. 
Robert  Isliam  Randolph  was  appointed  secretary. 

The  repairs  to  the  Shawneetown  levee  were  successfully  completed 
on  August  21,  1908,  and  the  mayor  and  levee  committee  accepted  the 
work  and  expressed  satisfaction  with  methods  and  results.  A  state¬ 
ment  of  disbursements  of  this  account  has  been  tiled  with  the  State 
Auditor  and  the  secretary’s  report  is  submitted  herewith  in  the  appendix. 

The  commission  has  collected  maps  and  data  on  the  regimen  and 
physical  characteristics  of  the  Mississippi  river  between  St.  Louis  and 
Cairo,  but  will  defer  its  report  on  this  division  of  the  Lakes-to-the-Gulf 
waterway  until  such  time  as  the  more  exhaustive  investigation  of  the 
Mississippi  River  Commission  makes  complete  data  available.  The  funds 
available  for  this  work  are  not  sufficient  for  original  surveys  and  inves¬ 
tigation  in  a  problem  of  such  magnitude,  and  in  view  of  the  fact  that 
the  Mississippi  River  Commission  is  making  a  study  of  this  division 
with  ample  funds  your  commission  feels  justified  in  withholding  judg¬ 
ment  until  such  time  as  the  results  of  these  studies  are  available. 

In  cooperation  with  the  United  States  Geological  Survey,  the  De¬ 
partment  of  Agriculture  and  the  State  Geological  Survey,  the  com¬ 
mission  lias  been  collecting  data  for  the  proper  study  of  the  problem 
of  conservation  of  the  water  resources  of  the  State.  Under  this  scheme 
of  cooperation  these  three  agencies  are  acquiring  data  valuable  to  each 
of  them  and  for  which  they  each  pay  a  part  of  the  cost.  This  commis¬ 
sion  has  assumed  the  expense  of  gauging  streams  in  Illinois  during  the 
past  year  and  will  have  this  data,  together  with  the  completed  topo¬ 
graphical  maps  of  the  several  stream  basins,  for  use  in  determining  the 
proper  treatment  for  regulation  and  control  of  the  streams  and  the  con¬ 
servation  of  water  supply  in  the  several  districts.  Fourteen  gauging 
stations  are  being  maintained  at  the  present  time;  five  on  the  Kas- 
kaskia  and  tributaries;  five  on  the  Sangamon  river  and  tributaries; 


V 


two  on  the  Big  Muddy  and  tributaries,  and  two  on  the  Little  Wabasli 
and  tributaries.  Daily  readings  are  taken  on  these  gauges  and  flow 
measurements  are  taken  from  time  to  time,  seventy  measurements  hav¬ 
ing  been  made  during  the  past  year.  The  data  obtained  during  the  past 
year  are  of  great  value  as  they  cover  a  period  of  exceptionally  low  water, 
but  the  collection  of  data  should  be  continued  over  a  series  of  years 
to  be  of  most  value.  The  question  of  water  supply  both  for  domestic 
and  commercial  uses  is  a  very  serious  problem  in  Southern  Illinois  and 
as  the  population  increases  it  will  become  more  serious. 

The  following  table  shows  the  location  and  record  of  the  stations 
maintained  by  the  commission : 

GAUGING  STATIONS  IN  THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS. 

Maintained  by  the  Internal  Improvement  Commission. 


Stream. 


Station. 


Date 

established. 


Number 

of 

measure¬ 

ments. 


Length  of  Record. 


Sangamon . 

Sangamon . 

Sangamon . 

South  Fk.  Sangamon 

Salt  Creek . 

Kaskaskia . 

Kaskaskia . 

Kaskaskia . 

Kaskaskia . 

Silver  Creek . 

Big  Muddy . 

Beaucoup  Creek . 

Little  Wabash . 

Skillet  Fork . 

Total . 


Monticello . 

Feb. 

4, 1908 

7 

Feb. 

4,1908, 

to 

Jan. 

1,1909. 

Riverton . 

Feb. 

13,1908 

5 

Feb. 

13,1908. 

to 

Jan. 

1,1909.. 

Chandlerville  .... 

Feb. 

9, 1908 

2 

Feb. 

9,1908, 

to 

Jan. 

1 , 1909 . . 

Taylorville 

Feb. 

11,1908 

5 

Feb. 

11,1908, 

to 

Jan. 

1,1909.. 

Kenney  . 

Feb. 

14,1908 

4 

Feb. 

14,1908, 

to 

Jan. 

1,1909.. 

Areola . 

Apr. 

11,1908 

2 

Apr. 

11,1908, 

to 

Jan. 

1,1909.. 

Shelbyville . 

Feb. 

25, 1908 

6 

Feb. 

25, 1908, 

to 

Jan. 

1,1909.. 

Vandalia . 

Feb. 

26, 1908 

10 

Feb. 

26,1908, 

to 

Jan. 

1,1909. 

Carlyle . 

Mar. 

2, 1908 

8 

Mar. 

2, 1908, 

to 

Jan. 

1,1909.. 

Lebanon . 

Mar. 

3, 1908 

8 

Mar. 

21,1908, 

to 

Jan. 

1,1909.. 

Cambon . 

June 

16,1908 

3 

June 

16,1908, 

to 

Jan. 

1.1909.. 

Pinckney ville  .... 

June 

17, 1908 

4 

J  une 

17, 1908, 

to 

Jan. 

1,1909.. 

Golden  Gate . 

Aug. 

17,1908 

3 

Aug. 

17,1908. 

to 

Jan. 

1,1909.. 

Wayne  City . 

Aug. 

16,1908 

3 

70 

Aug. 

16, 1908, 

to 

Jan. 

1,1909.. 

The  topographic  work  of  this  Illinois  cooperation,  begun  in  1907, 
was  continued  through  the  season  of  1908,  resulting  in  complete  sur¬ 
veys  of  the  Kaskaskia  river  from  the  wagon  bridge,  one  and  one-half 
miles  southeast  of  Cowden,  to  its  outlet  near  Chester;  Shoal  creek  from 
the  wagon  bridge  six  miles  west  and  one  mile  south  of  Greenville,  to 
its  outlet  into  the  Kaskaskia  river,  and  the  Big  Muddy  river  from  near 
Mulkeytown  to  the  Mississippi.  The  distance  along  the  surveyed  por¬ 
tion  of  the  Kaskaskia  river,  by  direct  line  through  the  bottoms,  is  118 
miles;  Shoal  creek  twenty-nine  miles  and  the  Big  Muddy  fifty  miles. 

In  addition  to  these  completed  maps,  a  primary  level  line  has  been 
run  from  Beardstown  along  the  Sangamon  river  to  Petersburg,  and 
from  Springfield  to  Decatur.  From  Decatur,  the  line  continues  north 
along  the  Illinois  Central  Bailroad  to  Clinton  and  thence  west  along 
Salt  river  to  the  Sangamon  and  south  to  Petersburg.  This  line  of  levels 
will  serve  as  vertical  control  for  the  work  along  the  Sangamon  and 
Salt  rivers. 

The  total  area  surveyed  is  496  square  miles,  of  which  348  are  in¬ 
cluded  in  the  Kaskaskia  river  survey,  forty-eight  in  the  Shoal  creek 
survey  and  100  in  the  Big  Muddy.  Of  the  348  square  miles  along  the 


1 


VI 


Kaskaskia  river,  there  are  160  determined  elevations  per  square  mile, 
which  makes  a  total  of  2,480  miles  of  traverse  and  24,800  elevations, 
which  are  distributed  along  these  streams  as  follows: 

Miles  Traverse.  Elevations. 

Kaskaskia  River  .  1,740  17,400 

Shoal  Creek  . 240  2,400 

Big  Muddy  River  .  500  5,000 


Totals  .  2,480  24,800 

In  addition  to  the  ground  elevations,  levels  have  also  been  taken  of  a 
sufficient  number  of  high  water  marks  to  make  it  possible  to  show  upon 
the  completed  maps,  the  extent  of  the  flooded  section.  With  this  infor¬ 
mation  plotted  on  the  maps,  it  will  be  possible  to  see  at  a  glance  the 
extent  of  the  flood  along  the  entire  length  of  the  stream.  Elevations 
have  also  been  determined  of  the  approximate  low  water,  but  because  of 
the  quick  changes  in  the  level  of  the  water  surface,  and  the  lack  of 
stream  gauges,  these  elevations  may  vary  as  much  as  three  feet  from 
a  given  stage.  However,  they  should  be  useful  in  giving  a  fairly  ac¬ 
curate  idea  of  the  fall  between  different  points  along  the  stream. 

In  their  completed  form,  the  maps  are  divided  into  sections  or  sheets, 
which  are  given  the  name  of  the  largest  town,  or  if  there  be  no  town, 
of  the  best  known  feature  which  it  contains.  The  size  of  the  sheets  are 
not  uniform,  but  necessarily  vary  in  order  to  fit  the  changing  course  of 
the  stream.  The  approximate  size  will  be,  to  the  scale  of  the  map  9x11 
miles. 

The  scale  is  1 :24000,  or  one  inch  2,030  feet,  and  the  contour  interval 
five  feet.  Following  is  a  list  of  the  completed  sheets: 


Kaskaskia  River. 

Shoal  Creek. 

Big  Muddy  River. 

Lorton  Bridge. 

Breese. 

There  will  be  5  or  G 

Vandalia. 

Frogtown. 

sheets  along  this  stream. 

Soper  Lake. 

They  were  surveyed  un¬ 

Carlyle. 

der  the  direction  of  Mr. 

Santa  Fe. 

W.  J.  Lloyd  of  the  U. 

Queen’s  Lake. 

S.  G.  S.,  and  are  being 

Fayetteville. 

put  into  map  form  by 

Round  Pond. 

him. 

Evansville. 

The  work  as  previously  planned  for  1908  included  the  Kaskaskia 
river.  Big  Muddy,  Shoal  creek  and  a  small  section  of  the  Little  Wabash 
south  of  Carmi,  and  the  level  work  on  the  Sangamon.  All  of  this,  with 
the  exception  of  the  Little  Wabash,  was  completed  as  planned. 

The  commission  has  made  a  personal  inspection  and  reconnoissance 
of  the  Kaskaskia,  Big  Muddy,  Mississippi,  Ohio,  Wabash  and  Little 
Wabash  rivers,  studying  from  personal  observation  the  possibilities  of 
these  streams  for  commercial  development,  their  regulation  and  control, 
and  the  reclamation  and  preservation  of  contiguous  bottom  lands  from 
overflow. 

By  your  instructions  the  commission  has  promoted  the  projected 
waterway  on  all  proper  occasions.  The  secretary  has  conducted  an  ex¬ 
tended  correspondence  with  waterway  organizations,  prepared  sundry 
addresses  and  contributed  waterway  articles  to  several  publications. 


VII 


The  commission  attended  the  Lakes-to-thc-Gulf  Waterways  Association 
Convention  in  Chicago  on  October  7,  8  and  9;  the  National  Rivers  and 
Harbors  Congress  in  Washington,  December  9,  10  and  11;  and  Avas 
represented  at  the  Gulf  Coast  Inland  Waterways  Association  Conven¬ 
tion  in  Mobile,  Ala.,  May  7th,  the  Mississippi  to  Atlantic  Inland  Water¬ 
ways  Association  in  Columbus,  Ga.,  on  November  9  and  10,  the  Mobile 
Basin  and  Tennessee  River  Association  Convention  in  Mobile  on  No¬ 
vember  23  and  24,  and  the  Inter-State  Inland  Waterways  Association 
Convention  in  New  Orleans  on  December  4  and  5. 

In  order  to  enlighten  the  voters  upon  the  proposition  to  amend  the 
Constitution  and  issue  twenty  million  dollars  in  bonds  for  the  construc¬ 
tion  of  a  waterway  from  Lockport  to  Utica,  the  commission  prepared 
a  synopsis  of  its  plan  for  this  development  and  distributed  510,000 
copies  of  the  same  throughout  the  State.  This  circular  was  the  only 
authoritative  information  from  an  authorized  agency  of  the  State  upon 
the  provisions  of  this  act,  and  the  possibilities  of  this  development. 

The  report  herewith  is  the  result  of  the  studies  and  estimates  of  your 
commission  and  is  its  final  recommendation  for  a  plan  of  development. 
Features  discussed  tentatively  in  our  previous  report,  such  as  the  dimen¬ 
sions  of  locks,  treatment  of  channel,  location  of  power  houses  and  esti¬ 
mates  of  cost,  are  here  crystallized  and  presented  as  the  findings  of  your 
commission. 

We  reprint  so  much  of  the  original  report  as  is  consistent  with  the 
conclusions  we  have  arrived  at  after  another  period  of  study  of  the 
problems  committed  to  us. 

For  the  history  and  physiography  therein  contained  we  are  pleased 
to  acknowledge  our  indebtedness  to  Mr.  Lyman  E.  Cooley. 

Very  respectfully  submitted, 

The  Internal  Improvement  Commission  of  Illinois, 

Isham  Randolph,  Chair  man , 

H.  M.  SCHMOLDT, 

H,  W.  Johnson. 

Robert  Isham  Randolph,  Secretary . 


VIII 


INDEX.. 


Part  I.  PRELIMINARY  CONSIDERATION: 

Introduction— Physical  Relations .  1 

The  Discovery .  2 

Early  History .  6 

History  of  Other  Illinois  Waterways . . .  9 

Recent  History  .  11 

Growth  in  Ideas... .  18 

Part  II.  DIVISION  OF  ROUTE: 

The  Chicago  Divide . 20 

The  Upper  Illinois .  22 

The  Lower  Illinois .  25 

The  Tributary  Division .  32 

The  Middle  Mississippi . ' .  34 

The  Lower  Mississippi .  37 

Resume .  39 

Part  III.  THE  DEEP  WATERWAY: 

The  Federal  Project .  40 

Discussion  of  the  Federal  Project .  45 

The  State  Project .  46 

The  Locks . 50 

The  Water  Power .  51 

Exhibits— Plans,  sheets  No.  1,  No.  7  ) 

Profile . /-facing  page .  52 

General  Map . 1 

Land  Reclamation .  53 

General  Remarks . 56 

Part  IV.  RESUME  AND  CONCLUSIONS: 

Lake  Illinois .  57 

The  Mississippi  Outlet .  59 

Co-Operation .  60 

Illinois .  61 

APPENDIX: 

Report  of  Shawneetown  Levee  Repairs. . ’. . .  65 


THE  LAKES  AND  GULF  WATERWAY. 


Part  I.  Preliminary  Consideration. 


1.  Introduction — Physical  Relations. 

The  Chicago  divide  is  the  site  of  the  ancient  outlet  of  the  Great  Lakes. 
Three  distinctive  shore  lines  about  the  head  of  Lake  Michigan  record 
successive  stages  of  the  receding  waters  as  the  eastern  outlet  developed — 
the  forty  foot  beach  (above  standard  low  water) ,  known  as  the  West 
Ridge,  from  Evanston  to  Rose  Hill;  the  twenty-four  foot  beach,  which 
is  the  site  of  Northwestern  University  and  extends  to  the  north  side  of 
Chicago;  and  the  fourteen  foot  beach,  developed  at  Englewood — and 
changes  seem  to  be  still  in  progress  in  the  Port  Huron  outlet,  which  in¬ 
dicate  an  ultimate  level  somewhat  lower  than  the  present  state.  Pro¬ 
fessor  G.  K.  Gilbert,  Utaited  States  Geologist,  under  the  title,  “Earth 
Movement  in  the  Great  Lakes  Region,”  (see  Report  of  the  IT.  S.  Geo¬ 
logical  Survey,  vol.  XVIII.  1896-7.)  predicts  that  the  Chicago  outlet 
will  be  restored  in  about  twenty-five  hundred  years. 

The  Chicago  Divide  is  about  midway  of  the  continental  valley,  extend¬ 
ing  3,300  miles  by  the  water  trail  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  the  Gulf 
of  St.  Lawrence.  The  virtual  summit,  the  rock  floor  in  the  Desplaines 
valley  above  Lemont,  is  at  an  elevation  of  587  feet  above  mean  sea  level, 
or  less  than  the  altitude  of  the  Washington  Monument  in  the  District 
of  Columbia.  More  than  900  miles  away  by  the  water  route  the  rock 
floor  of  the  Niagara  river,  where  it  leaves  Lake  Erie,  is  only  thirty  feet 
lower,  or  at  about  the  level  of  the  bottom  of  the  Chicago  Drainage  Canal. 
To  the  northeast,  the  outlet  developed  in  lakes  and  rock-bound  declivi¬ 
ties  to  the  St.  Lawrence  estuary.  From  the  south,  alluvial  grades  de¬ 
veloped  northward  to  LTtica,  leaving  some  eighty  miles  of  half  completed 
rock-bound  valley  to  the  old  shore  line  near  Lyons.  Some  ten  miles  .of 
additional  rock  erosion  above  Joliet  would  have  maintained  the  souther] 
outlet. 

In  the  ice  cap  period,  an  estuary  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  e  ^tended  north 
to  the  vicinity  of  Cairo,  and  glacial  lobes  converged  on  the  low  lying 
region  represented  by  Illinois  and  the  adjacent  margins  of  bordering 
states.  The  topographic  relief  was  built  up  as  far  south  as  parallel 
371/2  degrees  (Grand  Tower  to  Shawneetown),  and  the  southern  estuary 
filled  in  as  the  delta  or  alluvial  region  of  over  30,000  square  miles  be¬ 
tween  Cairo  and  the  Gulf.  Water  passes  were  carved  across  the  northern 
highlands  and  between  the  lake  region  and  the  Mississippi  Valley,  from 


o 

/v 

all  of  which  the  flow  gravitated  toward  the  region  of  Illinois.  The  Chi¬ 
cago  outlet  is  the  lowest,  practically,  at  the  present  Michigan-Huron 
level,  and  from  180  to  440  feet  lower  than  all  others. 

The  pass  from  the  Winnipeg  basin  and  the  Canadian  northwest,  tin 
Red-Minnesota  Divide,  is  at  an  elevation  of  960  feet;  the  St.  Croix  pass 
from  the  head  of  Lake  Superior,  1,020  feet;  the  Fox-Wisconsin  at  Port¬ 
age,  \\  isconsin,  790  feet ;  the  Maumee-Wabash  near  Fort  Wayne,  Indi¬ 
ana,  at  760  feet;  the  Grand-Mahoning  near  Warren,  Ohio,  at  900  feet, 
the  site  of  the  proposed  Lake  Erie  and  Ohio  river  ship  canal ;  and  there 
are  four  intermediate  passes  in  Ohio  at  910-960  feet,  two  of  which  are 
utilized  by  state  canals.  The  Chicago  outlet  bv  wav  of  the  Illinois  river 
crosses  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  the  routes  from  all  the  other  water 
passes  come  to  her  borders  by  way  of  the  Upper  Mississippi,  the  Wabas1 
and  the  Ohio,  and  ultimately  converge  at  Cairo.  The  Missouri  river 
coming  remotelv  from  the  Rocky  Mountains;  the  Cumberland  and  the 
Tennessee  impinge  on  her  shores.  Illinois  is  the  natural  focus  of  a 
continental  waterway  system,  and  should  benefit  most  largely  by  a  gen 
eral  waterway  policy. 

That  the  Illinois  region  is  low  lying  is  to  be  inferred  from  the  fore¬ 
going.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  State  of  Illinois  is  the  lowest  in  eleva¬ 
tion  of  any  of  the  interior  states,  being  100  feet  lower  than  Indiana,  250 
feet  lower  than  Ohio,  300  feet  lower  than  Michigan,  450  feet  lower  than 
Wisconsin,  600  feet  lower  than  Minnesota,  500  feet  lower  than  Iowa  ant 
200  feet  lower  than  Missouri— lower  even  than  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  or 
Arkansas.  (See  Report  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  Yol.  XIII.  Pt.  II,  p. 
289,  1893.)  The  actual  average  elevation  of  the  State,  as  deduced  by 
Professor  Frank  Leverett  (Water  Resources  of  Illinois,  Report  U.  8 
Geological  Survey  Yol.  XYII,  Pt.  II,  1896)  is  632  feet,  or  fifty-three  fee 
above  the  Michigan  Huron  Lake.  Such  a  condition  carries  a  moderate 
climate  well  north,  making  navigation  possible  in  ordinary  winters  up 
to  parallel  42  degrees  at  Chicago  and  Clinton. 

The  State  of  Illinois  is  also  remarkably  uniform  in  elevation.  Pro¬ 
fessor  LeveretPs  table  shows  that  in  a  total  area  of  56,650  square  miles, 
only  125  miles  lie  above  an  elevation  of  1,000  feet,  4,990  miles  betweey 
1,000  and  800  feet,  and  1,925  miles  below  400  feet;  while  31,185  miles, 
or  55  per  cent,  lie  between  elevations  800  and  600  feet;  and  18,425 
miles,  or  32 y2  per  cent,  between  elevations  600  and  400  feet— -in  other 
words,  more  than  half  the  State  lies  within  a  range  of  200  feet  and 
seven-eights  within  a  limit  of  400  feet.  The  streams  are  well  distributed 
and  the  headwater  summits,  by  which  the  several  basins  may  be  con¬ 
nected,  are  generally  low.  The  resources  of  the  State  are  great  and  very 
uniformly  spread  out,  and  all  the  conditions  invite  a  dense  population 
When  the  need  shall  appear,  as  it  has  in  foreign  lands,  no  other  state 
is  better  adapted  to  the  development  of  a  domestic  waterway  system. 

2.  The  Discovery. 

In  1673,  Joliet  and  Marquette,  going  by  way  of  the  Fox-Wisconsin 
route  from  Green  Bay,  discovered  the  Mississippi  river,  and  floated 
down  the  same  to  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas  river.  On  their  return 


i 


3 


they  were  pursuaded  by  the  Illinois  Indians  to  take  the  Illinois  river, 
and  were  the  first  white  men  to  cross  the  Chicago  Divide,  in  September, 
1673. 

Resting  at  the  head  of  Lake  Michigan  from  his  hazardous  voyage  on 
the  Great  Lakes,  Marquette,  under  date  of  August  1,  1674,  first  pro¬ 
posed  a  canal  across  the  Chicago  Divide,  in  a  letter  to  his  friend,  Father 
Dablon,  as  follows: 

“A  very  important  advantage,  and  one  which  some,  perhaps,  will  find  it 
hard  to  credit,  is  that  we  could  easily  go  to  Florida  in  boats,  and  by  a  very 
good  navigation.  There  would  be  but  one  canal  to  make — by  cutting  one-half 
of  a  league  of  prairie — to  pass  from  the  lake  of  Illinois  (Lake  Michigan) 
into  the  St.  Louis  river  (Desplaines  river.)  The  route  to  be  taken  is  this: 
The  bark  should  be  built  on  Lake  Erie,  which  is  near  Lake  Ontario.  It 
could  easily  pass  from  Lake  Erie  to  Lake  Huron,  from  which  it  would  enter 
the  lake  of  Illinois.  At  the  extremity  of  this  lake  would  be  the  cut  or  can(al 
of  which  I  have  spoken,  to  have  a  passage  to  the  St.  Louis  river,  which 
empties  into  the  Mississippi.  The  bark,  having  entered  this  river,  could 
easily  sail  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.” 

Marquette  returned  to  Chicago  late  in  1674,  and  wintered  “two 
leagues”  from  the  lake,  adjacent  to  the  west  fork  of  the  south  branch 
of  the  Chicago  river,  near  Robey  street.  On  March  29,  1675,  he  was 
driven  from  his  cabin  by  flood  waters,  due  to  the  spring  breakup  of  the 
Desplaines  river  and  ice  gorges.  He  secured  his  effects  in  trees  and 
took  refuge  on  a  “hillock.”  On  March  31,  he  crossed  the  divide  in  his 
canoes  and  proceeded  to  the  Illinois  country,  passing  the  site  of  Utica, 
on  April  8.  Sickness  soon  compelled  Marquette  to  abandon  his  mission, 
and  he  died  on  the  east  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  near  the  mouth  of  St. 
Joseph  river,  on  his  return  journey.  The  hillock  or  mound  on  which 
Marquette  took  a  refuge  stood  adjacent  to  the  west  fork  at  Robey  street, 
and  was  about  350  feet  long  by  100  feet  wide  and  sixteen  feet  above 
lake  level,  and  was  not  entirely  removed  until  1880. 

LaSalle  was  fired  by  the  exploits  of  Joliet  and  Marquette.  He  had 
already  explored  down  the  Ohio  river  as  far  as  Louisville,  and  planned 
an  extended  scheme  of  exploration  and  commercial  venture.  In  1679 
he  built  the  Griffin  on  the  shores  of  the  Niagara  river,  and  with  her 
made  the  trip  to  Green  Bay,  the  first  vessel  to  sail  the  upper  lakes.  He 
selected  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joe  river  apparently  as  a  suitable  harbor 
and  there  established  Fort  Miami.  He  proceeded  up  the  St.  Joseph 
river  and  crossed  over  to  the  Kankakee  marshes  near  South  Bend,  In¬ 
diana,  and  thence  down  the  Kankakee  river  and  the  Illinois  to  the 
Illinois  villages,  where  he  arrived  Jan.  1,  1680.  He  established  Fort 
C'reve  Coeur,  on  the  east  side  of  Lake  Peoria  and  northeast  from  the 
present  city  of  Peoria,  and  started  to  build  a  suitable  vessel  with  which 
to  descend  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi.  His  resources  and  organization 
were  inadequate,  and,  after  despatching  Father  Hennepin  to  explore 
the  Upper  Mississippi,  on  March  2,  he  set  out  on  his  return  to  Fort 
Miami,  going  by  way  of  the  Desplaines  river  to  Joliet,  thence  overland 
to  Lake  Michigan,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Calumet. 

LaSalle  made  a  new  start  in  1681,  and  his  party  rendezvoused  at 
“Checaugou”  on  Jan.  4,  1862,  and  proceeded  over  the  ice  on  sleighs  to 
Lake  Peoria,  where  he  found  open  water,  and  at  once  launched  his  boats 


and  proceeded  southward  by  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  rivers,  reaching 
the  margin  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  on  April  9.  He  returned  to  the 
Illinois  country  and  established  Fort  St.  Louis  at  Starved  Rock,  op¬ 
posite  Utica,  in  December,  1682,  and,  owing  to  the  removal  of  Governor 
Frontenac,  remained  in  the  Illinois  country  until  the  autumn  of  1683, 
when  he  returned  to  France,  leaving  Tonti  in  command.  Fort  St.  Louis 
was  besieged  by  Iroquois  Indians  for  six  days  in  March,  1681. 

LaSalle  fitted  out  a  new  expedition  to  reach  the  interior  bv  way  of  the 
Mississippi  river  'from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  He  missed  the  mouth  of  the 
river  and  landed  at  Matagorda  Bay,  Texas,  Jan.  12,  1687.  After  estab¬ 
lishing  a  fort  and  making  local  explorations,  he  set  out  overland  for 
the  Mississippi  river  on  his  way  to  Canada,  hut  was  assassinated  by 
members  of  his  party  near  Trinity  river,  Texas,  March  19,  1687.  On 
Feb.  13,  1686,  Tonti  left  Fort  St.  Louis  in  search  of  LaSalle,  and  on 
his  return  built  a  fort  near  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas  river,  where  fug¬ 
itives  from  LaSalle’s  party  arrived  on  Sept.  14,  1687.  They  reached 
Fort  St.  Louis  and  remained  there  during  the  winter  and  returned  to 
France  by  way  of  the  Chicago  portage  in  1688. 

A  fort  was  built  by  Durantaye  at  “Checaugou”  in  1685,  but  the  exact 
site  and  its  name  are  unknown. 

The  French  established  a  chain  of  forts  from  the  lakes  to  the  gulf, 
and  protected  from  their  hereditary  enemies,  east  and  west,  the  Illinois 
Indians  increased  greatly  in  numbers  and  prospered.  In  1769  Pontiac, 
the  great  Indian  leader,  was  assassinated  by  an  Illinois  Indian  at  Ca- 
hokia,  o^nosite  St.  Louis,  an  act  which  was  approved  by  the  Illinois 
tribes.  The  northern  Indians,  in  revenge,  practically  exterminated  the 
Illinois  tribes,  the  war  culminating  in  the  massacre  at  Starved  Rock 
in  1770. 

The  actual  “divide,”  or  water  parting,  at  the  time  of  the  discovery 
and  up  to  1852,  was  within  the  present  limits  of  the  city  of  Chicago, 
near  Kedzie  avenue.  The  original  land  surveys  of  1821  show  an  ex¬ 
tended  marsh,  fed  through  a  slough  from  the  Desplaines  river  at  the 
range  line  north  of  Summit.  The  two  arms  of  this  marsh  overflowed 
in  high  water  near  Ivedzie  avenue,  into  the  West  Fork  near  the  Bride¬ 
well  and  into  the  South  Fork  near  Brighton  and  west  from  the  stock 
yards.  From  the  junction  of  these  two  forks,  the  South  Branch  and  the 
main  river  out  to  the  lake  sand  bar,  had  a  natural  depth  of  over  twelve 
feet  and  a  capacity  several  times  that  of  the  north  branch,  though  the 
territory  normally  drained  was  comparatively  limited.  The  inference 
is  plain,  that  the  south  branch  with  its  two  forks  was  the  proper  outlet 
for  the  flood  waters  of  the  Desplaines  river  and  was  maintained  thereby. 

Topographical  surveys  identify  an  old  river  bed  in  the  Mud  Lake 
region,  and  along  the  present  line  of  the  Ogden-Wentworth  ditch,  which 
was  probably  at  one  time  the  bed  of  the  Desplaines  river  when  it  flowed 
to  Lake  Michigan,  much  like  the  Calumet  within  the  historic  period. 
What  occasioned  the  diversion  down  the  present  course  of  the  Des¬ 
plaines  river  is  a  matter  of  speculation — it  may  have  been  due  to  silt 
deposits  initiated  by  a  beaver  dam  near  Kedzie  avenue.  The  present 
course  bears  every  evidence  of  being  very  recent — the  silt  deposits  over 


o 


the  rock  are  very  limited  and  the  river  bed  occupies  a  mere  surface  de¬ 
pression,  with  little  or  no  rock -erosion. 

The  original  portage  was  then,  from  the  west  fork  near  the  Bridewell 
to  Mud  Lake,  beyond  Kedzie  avenue;  thence  navigation  was  continued 
by  a  slough  to  the  Desplaines  river  and  through  the  "twelve  mile  level” 
to  the  rock  above  Lemont,  a  water  stretch  of  some  eighteen  miles,  and 
having  a  low  water  level  only  eight  feet  above  low  lake  level  and  less 
than  four  feet  above  high  lake.  Such  conditions  naturally  made  the- 
Chicago  divide  the  most  famous  portage  between  the  lakes  and  the 
Mississippi  river. 

From  the  end  of  the  "twelve  mile  level”  to  Lake  Joliet  was  seventeen 
miles — a  mere  surface  stream  over  the  rock  bed — with  a  steep  declivity 
over  the  lower  half  of  the  distance  descending  to  a  level  76.5  feet  below 
Lake  Michigan.  Eight  out  of  thirteen  miles  between  the  head  of  Lake 
Joliet  and  the  head  of  the  Illinois  river  at  the  Junction  with  the  Kan¬ 
kakee,  is  occupied  by  two  deep  pools,  Lake  Joliet  and  Lake  DuPage, 
with  intermediate  declivities  of  seventeen  feet.  The  flow  from  the  Kan¬ 
kakee  river  itself  was  originally  well  maintained  from  the  great  marsh 
expanses  at  head  waters. 

Under  date  of  April  4,  1819,  Messrs.  B.  Graham  and  Joseph  Phillips 
report  from  Kankakee  as  follows : 

“The  route  by  Chicago  as  followed  by  the  French  since  the  discovery  of 
the  Illinois,  presents  at  one  season  of  the  year  an  uninterrupted  boat  com¬ 
munication  of  six  to  eight  tons  burden  between  the  Mississippi  and  the  Michi¬ 
gan  lake;  at  another  season  a  portage  of  two  miles;  at  another,  a  portage 
of  seven  miles  from  the  bend  of  the  Plein  (Desplaines)  to  the  arm  of  the 
lake.  And  at  another,  a  portage  of  fifty  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Plein 
to  the  lake,  over  which  there  is  a  well  beaten  wagon  road.  Boats  and  their 
loads  are  hauled  by  oxen  and  vehicles  kept  for  that  purpose  by  the  French 
settlers  at  Chicago.” 

In  1849  the  divide  was  overflowed  at  the  spring  breakup,  much  as  in 
1675,  when  Marquette  was  driven  from  his  cabin,  with  ice  gorges'  and 
great  destruction  of  shipping  and  bridges  in  the  Chicago  river. 

The  southern  arm  of  Mud  Lake  was  intercepted  by  the  Illinois  and 
Michigan  canal  (opened  in  1848)  and  drained  to  the  south  fork  by  the 
State  ditch  at  Brighton.  In  1852  the  Cook  County  Drainage  Commis¬ 
sioners  cut  a  ditch  four  feet  wide  and  three  feet  deep  into  Mud  Lake 
from  the  West  Fork,  and  this  had  enlarged  to  great  proportions  by  1856. 
The  same  commission  also  cut  a  similar  ditch  from  Mud  Lake  to  the 
Desplaines  river,  but  this  silted  up.  In  1871  private  parties  opened 
up  what  has  since  been  known  as  the  Ogden- Wentworth  ditch,  but  this 
brought  so  much  silt  to  the  Chicago  river  and  to  the  canal,  then  just 
deepened,  that  it  was  regarded  as  a  nuisance.  A  dam  was  built  at  the 
range  line  near  Summit,  in  1874,  its  height  being  fixed  by  agreement, 
at  the  level  of  the  divide  that  had  formed  at  the  margin  of  the  Des¬ 
plaines  river,  or  at  11.73  feet  above  Chicago  datum  (low  water  of  1847) 
and  3.7  feet  above  the  summer  level  of  the  "twelve  mile  level”  and  the 
rock  floor  at  Lemont,  thirteen  miles  below. 

Below  the  mouth  of  the  Kankakee  river  the  voyageur  had  ample  water 
in  the  open  season  to  the  Indian  town  located  on  the  water  line  uplift 
at  Utica,  where  there  are  copious  springs  from  the  overlying  St.  Peter’s 


sandstone.  Opposite  was  Fort  St.  Louis,  later  Starved  Rock,  at  the  im¬ 
mediate  head  of  the  alluvial  valley  and  the  head  of  the  present  pool 
created  by  the  dam  at  Henry.  The  fall  at  low  water  was  about  fifty- 
three  feet  in  forty-two  miles,  largely  concentrated  in  rock-bound  de¬ 
clivities — four  feet  in  one  mile  below  the  Kankakee ;  eighteen  feet  in  two 
miles  below  Kickapoo  reef,  opposite  Marseilles,  and  ten  feet  in  two  and  a 
half  miles  above  Fort  St.  Louis,  and  a  deep  pool  covered  more  than 
twelve  miles  above  Kickapoo  reef. 

From  Fort  St.  Louis  (Utica)  was  an  easy  current  to  the  Mississippi, 
a  descent  at  low  water  of  only  twenty-eight  feet  in  229  miles.  This 
gentle  declivity  expressed  the  great  volume  of  the  old  outlet,  and  a 
remnant  of  the  ancient  stream  bed  survives  in  Lake  Peoria,  much  con¬ 
tracted  in  historic  times.  The  detritus  from  tributaries  has  determined 
the  course  and  shaped  the  bed  of  the  modern  stream,  shrinking  it  to  the 
requirements  of  the  present  drainage  basin,  an  adjustment  in  grades 
and  prism  that  will  take  a  geologic  age  to  complete.  In  the  report  of 
1867,  upon  the  survey  and  project  “for  a  system  of  navigation  *  *  * 

adapted  to  military,  naval  and  commercial  purposes,”  General  James  H. 
Wilson  describes  the  bottom  lands  as  follows: 

“Intersected  by  lagoons  and  swamps,  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  wil¬ 
low,  these  bottoms  seem  impenetrable.  Such  is  the  desolate  appearance  of 
the  silent  swamps  and  lagoons,  that  Captain  Howard  Stansbury,  in  a  report 
of  a  survey  made  in  1838,  expresses  the  opinion  that  they  must  ‘ever  remain 
uninhabited.’  This  may  be  true,  until  a  denser  population  gives  a  sufficient 
value  to  the  land  to  justify  a  reclamation  by  levees.  Already  cultivation  has 
begun  to  enroach  on  the  bottoms.” 

Stansbury  saw  the  situation  substantially  as  it  was  seen  by  the  dis¬ 
coverers,  and  little  change  had  occurred  in  Wilson’s  day. 

3.  Early  History. 

The  ordinance  of  Virginia  (July  13,  1787)  accepting  the  cession  of 
the  northwest  territory  (northwest  of  Ohio  river)  provided  as  follows : 

“The  navigable  waters  leading  into  the  Mississippi  and  the  St.  Lawrence, 
and  the  carrying  places  between  the  same,  shall  be  common  highways,  and 
forever  free,  as  well  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  said  territory  as  to  the  citizens 
of  the  United  States,  and  those  of  any  other  state  that  may  be  admitted  into 
the  Confederacy,  without  any  tax,  impost,  or  duty  therefor.” 

The  Indian  Treaty  of  August  3,  1795,  cedes  territory  as  follows: 

“One  piece  of  land  six  miles  square  at  mouth  of  Chicago  river  *  *  *  * 

where  a  fort  formerly  stood;  one  piece  twelve  miles  square  at  or  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Illinois;  one  piece  six  miles  square  at  the  Old  Peorian  fort  and 
village,  near  south  end  of  the  Illinois  lake  (Lake  Peoria)  on  the  said  Illinois 
river.” 

In  his  celebrated  report  on  Means  of  Internal  Communication,  in 
1808,  Albert  Gallatin  gave  a  prominent  place  to  the  project  for  a  ship 
canal  across  the  Chicago  portage. 

In  1811  the  Illinois  waterway  was  reported  to  Congress  in  a  bill  along 
with  the  proposed  Erie  and  other  canals. 

From  1808  to  1825  the  “proposed  ship  canal”  was  repeatedly  advo¬ 
cated  bv  Clinton  and  Morris  as  an  extension  of  the  Erie  camd  to  the 

%j 

Mississippi  river. 


7 


President  Madison,  in  his  message  to  Congress  in  1814,  invites  atten¬ 
tion  to  the  importance  of  a  ship  canal  between  Lake  Michigan  and  the 
Illinois  river. 

On  August  24,  1816,  a  treaty  was  made  with  the  Ottawa,  Chippewa 
and  Pottawatomie  Indians,  by  which  they  relinquished  all  territorial 
claims  south  of  the  parallel  touching  the  south  end  of  Lalm  Michigan, 
and  ceded  the  territory  within  ten  miles  of  the  water  route,  or  what  is 
known  as  the  Indian  boundary  line  extending  from  the  Fox  river  to 
Lake  Michigan  on  the  north,  and  from  Lake  Michigan  to  the  Kankakee 
river  on  the  south. 

In  1816  Major  Long,  who  had  been  sent  to  rebuild  Fort  Dearborn,  re¬ 
ported  to:  George  Graham,  Secretary  of  War,  on  “The  Practicability  of 
a.  Ship  Canal. ”  He  examined  the  Illinois,  Kankakee  and  Desplaines 
rivers,  and  among  other  things  says : 

“The  water  course  which  is  already  open  between  the  river  Desplaines  and 
the  Chicago  river,  needs  but  little  more  excavation  to  render  it  sufficiently 
capacious  tor  all  the  purposes  of  a  canal.” 

At  the  instance  of  Judge  Nathaniel  Pope,  territorial  delegate  to  Con¬ 
gress,  the  bill  for  the  admission  of  Illinois  as  a  State  in  1818  fixed  the 
northern  boundary  at  parallel  42  degrees,  30  minutes,  in  place  of  the 
territorial  boundary  established  by  the  ordinance  of  Virginia  at  the 
parallel  touching  the  south  end  of  Lake  Michigan,  in  order  that  the  new 
State  might  have  a  port  on  Lake  Michigan,  and  that  the  construction  of 
the  waterway  between  Lake  Michigan  and  the  Mississippi  river  should 
not  be  prejudiced. 

The  land  surveys  of  1821  meandered  the  Desplaines  river  ap  to  the 
highway  in  the  village  of  Lyons,  or  to  the  seven  mile  portage  road  from 
the  Chicago  river. 

In  1822  the  United  States  granted  a  right  of  way  through  the  public 
lands,  and  in  1827  made  a  grant  of  land — alternate  sections  five  miles 
on  either-  side  and  amounting  to  284,000  acres — in  aid  of  a  waterway 
from  Lake  Michigan  to  the  navigable  waters  of  the  Illinois  river.  Sup¬ 
plemental  legislation  was  passed  in  1833,  1842  and  1854.  The  State  of 
Illinois  took  action  in  1823,  authorized  canal  construction  in  1829  and 
began  work  in  1836.  The  State  submitted  plans  in  1825,  a  survey  was 
made  by  the  United  States  in  1830,  and  further  surveys  by  the  State  in 
1833. 

The  work  was  prosecuted  under  financial  vicissitudes,  and  finally 
opened  in  1848,  with  the  plan  modified  to  a  summit  level  eight  feet 
above  Lake  Michigan  (low  water  of  1847,  Chicago  datum)  with  a  feeder 
through  Sag  Valley  from  the  Calumet  river,  supplemented  by  lift  wheels 
at  Bridgeport,  when  the  water  supply  was  deficient.  These  wheels  were 
operated  at  time  to  cleanse  the  Chicago  river,  and  in  1866-71  the  city 
of  Chicago  cut  down  the  summit  level  according  to  the  original  plans, 
and  the  waters  of  Lake  Michigan  flowed  by  gravity  to  the  Mississippi. 
The  expenditure  for  this  work  was  refunded  by  the  State  after  the  great 
fire  of  October,  1871.  In  1881  the  Legislature,  by  joint  resolution,  re¬ 
quired  the  city  of  Chicago  to  erect  and  maintain  pumping  works  at  the 
canal  entrance  at  Bridgeport,  to  increase  the  flow  for  sanitary  reasons, 
and  these  were  put  in  operation  in  1884  and  have  since  continued. 


8 


The  canal  was  97.24  miles  long,  descending  to  146.6  feet  below  lake 
level  at  LaSalle  (low  water  in  the  Illinois),  six  feet  deep,  sixty  feet  wide 
at  surface  and  thirty-six  feet  at  bottom  in  earth,  and  forty-eight  feet  wide 
in  rock,  with  locks  110  feet  long,  eighteen  feet  wide  and  six  feet  deep 
on  miter  sills. 

There  were  differences  of  opinion  as  to  the  treatment  and  scope  of  the 
enterprise.  The  canalization  of  the  river  below  Joliet,  in  lieu  of  the 
canal,  was  strongly  advocated.  As  late  as  1838  General  Dearborn  wrote 
from  Chicago  that  the  canal  is  to  be  of  "such  enlarged  dimensions  as  to 
permit  the  passage  of  large  vessels,  being  ten  feet  deep,”  or  all  that 
could  then  be  carried  by  lake  across  the  St.  Clair  flats.  Clinton  is  stated 
to  have  visited  Chicago  in  the  interests  of  the  "ship  canal”  in  1826  (un¬ 
verified  statement  of  the  late  ex-Senator  Doolittle)  and  to  have  made  a 
speech  in  Steuben  county  after  his  return  to  New  York  in  which  he 
said:  "I  stood  on  the  banks  of  a  little  reedy  stream  called  the  Checau- 
gou  river,  where  in  forty  years  will  be  a  great  city,  not  less  than  200,000 
inhabitants.”  Notwithstanding  its  limited  capacity,  the  canal  served  its 
day  so  well  that  in  1885  Canal  Commissioner  Brainerd  estimated  that  it 
had  saved  the  people  of  the  State  within  reach  of  its  service  not  less 
than  $180,000,000  in  freight  charges. 

The  canal  failed  to  develop  its  full  utility,  as  long  continued  low 
water  periods  in  the  lower  Illinois  river  gave  bar  depths  as  little  as  one 
and  a  half  to  four  feet.  The  United  States  did  a  limited  amount  of 
dredging  in  1852  (under  Joe  Johnson,  later  famous  in  the  Confederate 
army)  and  the  good  effects  were  apparent  fifteeen  years  later.  In  1858 
John  B.  Preston  projected  a  steamboat  waterway — same  dimensions  rec¬ 
ommended  by  General  Wilson  in  1867 — and  this,  in  conjunction  with  an 
enlarged  Erie  canal,  was.  urged  in  Congress  in  1862  as  a  war  measure. 
In  1866  Congress  ordered  surveys  and  a  project  "for  a  system  of  naviga¬ 
tion,  by  way  of  the  Illinois  river,  between  the  Mississippi  and  Lake 
Michigan,  adapted  to  military,  naval  and  commercial  purposes.”  Gen¬ 
eral  James  H.  Wilson  made  a  preliminary  report  in  1867,  and  in  con¬ 
junction  with  William  Gooding.  engineer  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan 
canal,  a  final  report  in  1868.  The  project  recommended  was  a  canal, 
160  feet  wide  and  six  feet  deep  (eight  feet  at  mean  level)  across  the 
Chicago  divide  to  Lockport,  with  a  grade  of  one-tenth  foot  per  mile; 
the  same  dimensions  continued  to  Lake  Joliet;  the  improvement  of  the 
river  by  dams  and  locks  to  Utica,  with  a  depth  of  seven  feet,  and  also 
the  improvement  of  the  lower  river  by  locks  and  dams  to  the  same 
depths — all  locks  to  be  350  feet  long  and  seventy-five  feet  wide,  with 
seven  feet  depth  on  the  miter  sills. 

It  was  considered  that  an  addition  of  4,555  second  feet  to  the  extreme 
low  water  volume  (633  second-feet  at  LaSalle)  would  produce  the  re¬ 
quired  depth  between  Utica  and  the  mouth  of  the  river  "by  the  aid  of 
one,  or  at  the  most,  two  dams,  together  with  a  small  amount  of  dredg¬ 
ing.”  The  plan  (which  seems  to  have  been  that  of  Preston)  was  con¬ 
sidered  as  bevond  "any  reasonable  cost.”  This  conclusion  was  based  on 
an  ill-considered  design  for  the  supply  channel  across  the  Chicago  di¬ 
vide.  Assistants  Robert  E.  McGrath  and  Colonel  H.  A.  Ulffers  vigor¬ 
ously  protested  against  the  lock  and  dam  project  for  the  lower  Illinois, 


y 


and  up  to  1880  all  appropriations  by  the  United  States  were  expended 
in  dredging,  except  $62,359.80  applied  to  the  foundation  of  the  Copperas 

Creek  lock. 

The  State  of  Illinois  undertook  the  improvement  from  the  surplus 
canal  earnings,  and  in  1871  opened  the  lock  and  dam  at  Henry,  and  in 
1877,  the  lock  and  dam  at  Copperas  Creek. 

In  special  reports,  1878-80,  Captain  G.  J.  Lydecker  considers  locks  and 
dams  somewhat  cheaper  than  open  channel  improvement,  and  the  United 
States  opened  the  work  at  LaGrange  in  1889,  at  Kampsville  in  1893. 
He  estimated  it  to  be  feasible  to  obtain  six  feet  in  an  open  channel,  with 
the  low  water  volume  below  Copperas  Creek,  measured  in  1879,  at  1,566 
second-feet  (261  furnished  from  Lake  Michigan  by  the  canal.) 

In  1874,  Mr.  F.  C.  Doran,  under  Colonel  J.  1ST.  Macomb,  made  a  sur¬ 
vey  from  Chicago  to  Hennepin,  as  part  of  the  northern  transportation 
.  route  from  the  upper  Mississippi  to  Lake  Michigan.  His  project  did  not 
differ  materially  from  that  of  General  Wilson’s  except  that  the  summit 
cut  across  the  Chicago  divide  was  to  be  eight  feet  deep  on  a  grade  of 
0.28  feet  per  mile,  with  a  capacity  of  124,000  feet  per  minute. 

In  1883  Mr.  G.  Y.  Wisner,  under  Major  W.  II.  II.  Benyaurd,  made 
a  survey  between  Joliet  and  LaSalle,  and  the  Wilson  project  was  sub¬ 
stantially  adhered  to. 

The  canal  was  examined  in  1882,  with  a  view  to  a  slight  enlargement 
as  an  extension  of  the  proposed  Hennepin  canal  to  Lake  Michigan.  By 
Act  approved  April  28,  1882,  and  ratified  by  popular  vote  on  November 
5,  the  same  year,  the  State  of  Illinois  ceded  to  the  United  States  the 
Illinois  and  Michigan  canal,  on  condition  that  it  should  be  enlarged  and 
forever  maintained.  The  Board  of  Engineers  in  1886  decided  that  the 
improvement  of  the  river  between  Joliet  and  Hennepin  was  to  lie  pre¬ 
ferred,  and  this  cession  expired  by  limitation  on  November  5,  1887. 
Meantime  the  State  of  Illinois,  by  Act  approved  May  31,  1887,  ceded 
to  the  United  States  the  State  works  at  Henry  and  Copperas  Creek,  in 
order  to  meet  the  objection  that  there  would  sill  remain  a  section  of  the 
through  waterway  under  he  control  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  in  case  the 
United  States  accepted  the  cession  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal. 
This  Act  was  repealed  by  an  Act  of  the  General  Assembly  approved 
June  4,  1889,  in  force  July  1,  1889. 

4.  History  of  Other  Illinois  Waterways. 

Following  the  Act  of  Congress  of  1822,  the  State  of  Illinois,  by  Act 
of  January  14,  1823,  provided  for  the  appointment  of  a  canal  commis¬ 
sion,  and,  among  other  things,  instructed  it  “to  invite  the  attention  of 
the  Governors  of  the  states  of  Ohio  and  Indiana,  and  through  them  the 
legislatures  of  their  respective  states,  to  the  importance  of  improving  and 
connecting  the  navigation  of  the  Wabash  and  Maumee  rivers  by  canal 
communication.”  ' 

On  February  27,  1837,  the  State  of  Illinois  passed  an  “Act  to  estab¬ 
lish  and  maintain  a  general  system  of  internal  improvements.”  This 
Act  appropriated  $100,000  for  the  Great  Wabash;  $100,000  for  the  Illi¬ 
nois  river;  $100,000  for  the  Bock  river;  $50,000  for  the  Kankakee  river; 


10 


and  $50,000  for  the  Little  Wabash.  It  also  appropriated  several  million 
dollars  for  railways.  Further  appropriations  were  made  in  1839.  These 
Acts  failed  to  accomplish  any  substantial  results,  owing  in  part  to  the 
financial  stringency  of  1837,  and  were  repealed  in  February,  1840,  leav¬ 
ing  the  State  several  million  dollars  in  debt. 

In  1847  the  State  incorporated  the  Kankakee  and  Iroquois  Naviga¬ 
tion  and  Manufacturing  Company,  the  name  of  which  was  changed  later 
to  the  Kankakee  Company.  This  companv  extended  navigation  up  the 
Kankakee  river  by  means  of  locks  and  dams  to  the  foot  of  the  rapids 
at  Altorf,  twenty-one  miles  from  the  junction  of  the  Illinois  and  Michi¬ 
gan  canal,  near  Dresden,  utilizing  as  part  of  its  system  the  canal  feeder 
for  something  more  than  four  miles,  and  the  pool  created  by  the  State 
dam.  It  made  surveys  and  a  project  with  a  view  of  extending  the  work 
to  Momence,  47.5  miles  from  the  canal  and  105  feet  above  the  same. 
The  Kankakee  Company  forfeited  control  of  its  navigation  works  in 
1882,  by  reason  of  non-fulfillment  of  its  charter  requirements,  and  the 
works  have  since  fallen  into  disuse  and  the  State  has  abandoned  the 
Kankakee  feeder  at  Dresden.  A  survey  of  the  river  was  made  by  James 
Worrell  in  1866-7  from  Momence  to  the  mouth,  as  part  of  General  Wil¬ 
son’s  investigation  of  the  water  route  between  Lake  Michigan  and  the 
Mississippi  river.  Mr.  Worrell  refers  to  the  feasibility  of  an  improvement 
of  the  river  and  of  an  extension  through  the  Kankakee  country  to  a 
junction  with  the  Wabash  and  Erie  canal,  thus  forming  a  through  route 
to  Lake  Erie.  The  river  was  further  examined  and  reported  upon  by 
the  United  States.  (See  Report  Chief  Engineer,  U.  S.  A.,  1879,  80, 
84  and  85.)  All  the  reports  concur  in  the  feasibility  of  improving  this 
stream  by  a  system  of  locks  and  dams. 

In  1866-67  Mr.  James  Worrell,  under  General  Jas.  H.  Wilson,  made 
a  survey  of  the  Rock  river  from  the  Mississippi  river  at  Rock  Island  to 
Lake  Winnebago,  Wisconsin,  a  distance  of  285  miles.  He  found  the 
route  to  be  entirely  practicable,  and  made  a  project  for  its  development 
with  locks  200  by  30  by  7  feet,  at  an  estimated  cost  of  $14,000,000.00. 

The  Illinois  and  Mississippi  (Hennepin)  canal  extends  from  the  big 
bend  of  the  Illinois  near  Hennepin,  in  the  valley  of  Bureau  Creek  and 
Green  river  and  in  the  Rock  river,  to  the  Mississippi  river,  a  distance  of 
seventy-five  miles,  with  a  feeder  to  the  Rock  river  at  Sterling  29  miles 
long.  The  canal  is  SO  feet  wide  on  the  surface  and  7  feet  deep,  with 
locks  170  by  35  feet,  and  is  available  for  boats  140  feet  long,  drawing 
6  feet  of  water  and  carrying  600  net  tons  of  freight.  The  rise  from  the 
Illinois  river  to  the  Summit  level  is  196  feet  by  21  locks,  and  the  descent 
to  the  Mississippi  river  is  93  feet  by  10  locks ;  total  rise  and  fall  of  289 
feet  and  31  locks.  The  Rock  river  portion  was  opened  to  traffic  in  1895, 
and  the  canal  was  formally  opened  October  24,  1907.  The  first  survey 
for  this  canal  was  made  by  J.  O.  Hudnutt,  civil  engineer,  for  certain 
parties,  in  1866,  and  was  located  from  the  Illinois  river  opposite  Henne¬ 
pin,  to  Watertown  on  the  Mississippi,  with  a  feeder  from  Dixon  on  #the 
Rock  river.  Mr.  Hudnutt  proposed  a  prism  60  feet  wide  and  6  feet  deep, 
with  locks  150  by  21  feet.  The  route  was  again  surveyed  in  1879  by 
G.  P.  Low,  under  Colonel  J.  M.  Macomb,  as  part  of  the  northern  trans¬ 
portation  route  to  the  seaboard,  and  the  project  called  for  a  canal  prism 


11 


160  feet  wide  and  7  feet  deep,  with  locks  350  by  75  feet.  Hudnutt’s 
route  was  substantially  followed.  The  project  was  recast  in  1874  as  a 
"commercial  canal”  with  locks  170  by  30  feet.  The  route  was  surveyed 
by  Iliero  B.  Herr,  under  Major  W.  H.  H.  Benyaurd  in  1882,  following 
what  is  known  as  the  Marais  d’Osier  route  to  Albany  on  the  Mississippi 
river,  below  Clinton,  and  supplemental  surveys  were  made  in  1885.  A 
board  of  engineers  considered  the  matter  in  1886,  and  a  revised  project 
was  submitted  in  1888-90,  and  appropriation  was  made  therefor  Septem¬ 
ber  19,  1890.  Various  changes  in  plan  and  location  were  made,  however, 
in  1891,  1892  and  1896. 

In  1868  the  State  of  Illinois  appropriated  $35,000.00  to  complete 
the  lock  and  dam  at  Hew  Haven,  on  the  Little  Wabash  river,  which  had 
been  begun  by  private  parties.  This  dam  was  two  miles  above  the  mouth 
and  extended  twenty-six  miles  from  the  mouth  to  Carmi.  This  work  was 
completed  in  1869  and  was  in  use  for  about  one  year,  when  the  gates 
failed  to  operate,  and  in  1886  the  State  appropriated  money  for  removal 
of  the  works,  and  part  of  the  dam  was  taken  out  in  1887.  The  river 
was  examined  bv  the  United  States  in  1893,  and  considered  worthy  of 
improvement  up  to  Carmi. 

The  Sangamon  river  was  examined  under  Major  W.  H.  H.  Benyaurd 
in  1882-3  as  far  as  Petersburg,  66^/0  miles  from  the  mouth,  with  a  rise 
of  68  feet.  The  stream  at  low  water  was  found  to  be  navigable  for 
small  boats  if  the  channel  were  properly  cleared  and  the  bridges  changed. 
This  river  was  declared  to  be  a  navigable  stream  by  Act  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  Illinois  in  1845  and  again  in  1882. 

The  Kaskaskia  river  has  a  length  of  250  miles  and  drains  an  area  of 
about  5,000  square  miles.  It  has  been  examined  43  miles  from  the 
mouth,  up  to  New  Athens,  where  bridges  obstruct  the  further  ascent  of 
boats.  Appropriations  have  been  made  by  the  United  States  for  remov¬ 
ing  obstructions.  The  river  was  the  subject  of  report  in  1888,  1891  and 
subsequent  years.  (See  report  Chief  Engineer  U.  S.  A.)  In  1881,  the 
Mississippi  cut  into  the  bed  of  the  Kaskaskia  seven  miles  above  its 
mouth,  and  the  effect  has  been  to  raise  the  low  water  stage  six  or  seven 
feet,  thus  greatly  increasing  the  depth  in  the  lower  reach  of  the  river. 

No  examination  of  the  Fox  river  has  been  found,  although  the  capabil¬ 
ities  of  this  stream  should  have  attracted  attention.  No  reports  have 
been  found  upon  other  streams  within  the  State  of  Illinois.  The  Missis¬ 
sippi  river  on  the  west,  the  Ohio  river  on  the  south,  the  Wabash  river  on 
the  east  and  the  lake  harbors  of  the  Illinois  shore  have  been  the  subject 
of  federal  examination  and  appropriations  from  an  early  day. 

5.  Recent  History. 

The  deepening  of  the  summit  level  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal 
in  1866-71,  failed  to  give  Chicago  more  than  temporary  sanitary  relief, 
and  in  1881  the  General  Assembly  required  the  expedient  of  pumping 
works,  as  already  noted.  In  his  annual  report  for  the  year  ending  De¬ 
cember  31,  1878,  Mr.  E.  S.  Chesbrough,  who  had  been  city  engineer 
since  1854,  referring  to  the  pollution  of  the  lake  from  the  river,  ex¬ 
pressed  himself  as  follows :  “And  yet  for  this  there  is  no  present  remedy, 


12 


and  none  apparently  within  the  power  and  resources  of  the  city  in  the 
early  future.” 

The  growth  of  the  city  had  exceeded  all  expectations,  and  a  great 
variety  of  suggestions  were  made.  The  urgency  of  a  solution  was  em¬ 
phasized  by  the  great  down-pour  of  August  2,  1885,  the  local  flood,  re¬ 
inforced  by  the  Desplaines  overflow,  sweeping  the  filth  of  the  city  out 
into  the  lake  and  aronnd  the  water  intake  two  miles  from  shore.  Pollu¬ 
tion  from  this  cause  had  been  frequent,  but  not  before  so  pronounced 
and  startling. 

Mr.  Ossian  Guthrie,  Prank  W.  Reilly,  M.  D.,  Assistant  Secretary 
State  Board  of  Health,  and  Lyman  E.  Cooley,  C.  E.,  examined  the 
situation  on  behalf  of  the  Citizens7  Association,  and  the  report  as 
drawn  by  the  latter  was  adopted  on  August  27,  1885,  and  published 
by  the  entire  press  of  Chicago.  The  solution  proposed  was  a  ship  canal, 
ample  in  capacity  to  dilute  the  sewage  beyond  offense  and  to  carry  the 
flood  waters,  after  diverting  the  upper  Desplaines  river  to  the  lake  north 
of  the  city.  Incidentally,  the  canal  would  form  part  of  a  waterway  to 
the  Mississippi  and  produce  a  large  water  power.  The  matter  was  vig¬ 
orously  promoted  and  resulted  in  the  appointment  of  the  Drainage  and 
Mater  Supply  Commission  (authorized  by  the  city  council,  January  27, 
1886,  amended  February  23),  consisting  of  Rudolph  Hering,  Benezette 
Williams  and  Samuel  G.  Artingstall.  This  commission  made  a  pre¬ 
liminary  report  January  30,  1887,  but  no  final  report  was  submitted, 
owing  to  the  disbandment  of  the  commission  November  5,  1887,  before 
all  the  data  were  worked  up.  Some  $65,000.00  had  been  expended  and 
$20,000.00  was  estimated  as  necessary  to  complete  the  work. 

Two  solutions  were  fully  developed  and  disposed  of  as  unsatisfactory 
and  impracticable  on  account  of  cost,  viz. :  sewage  disposal  in  the  lakes, 
and  the  shifting  of  the  water  supply  north,  and  sewage  disposal  on  lands, 
situated  mostly  in  Indiana.  The  plan  recommended  though  not  fully 
worked  out,  was :  The  diversion  of  the  flood  waters  of  the  upper  Des¬ 
plaines  valley  north  of  the  city;  the  canal  from  the  Chicago  river  to 
Lockport,  with  a  capacity  of  600,000  cubic  feet  of  water  per  minute,  and 
a  branch  canal  from  the  Calumet  river  through  the  Sag,  with  a  capacity 
of  60,000  cubic  feet  per  minute.  Much  of  the  material  gathered  found 
its  way  into  special  publications  which  are  later  referred  to. 

Two  bills  were  introduced  in  the  General  Assembly  of  Illinois  in  1887, 
and  one  of  these  with  amendments  was  favorably  reported  by  the  joint 
committee.  It  failed  to  pass,  and  on  May  26-31,  a  joint  resolution  pro¬ 
vided  for  a  committee  of  five  to  consider  “the  subject  of  the  drainage 
of  Chicago  and  its  suburbs,”  and  to  report  to  the  next  General  Assembly. 
The  committee  consisted  of  the  Mayor  of  Chicago  as  chairman,  Hon. 
John  A.  Roach,  two  Senators,  B.  A.  Eckart.  of  Chicago  and  Andrew  J. 
Bell  of  Peoria,  and  two  Representatives,  Thomas  C.  McMillan  of  Chi¬ 
cago  and  Thomas  H.  Riley  of  Joliet.  John  P.  Wilson  was  employed 
as  counsel  and  Lyman  E.  Cooley  as  engineer.  The  report  was  submitted 
to  the  General  Assembly,  February  1,  1889,  in  the  form  of  a  bill,  and, 
as  amended  was  passed  as  the  “Act  to  create  sanitary  districts  and  to 
remove  obstructions  in  the  Desplaines  and  Illinois  rivers,”  approved 
May  28,  1889,  in  force  July  1,  1889. 


A  petition  for  the  organization  of  the  sanitary  district  of  Chicago 
was  filed  with  the  county  judge  on  August  15,  1889,  and  the  commission 
provided  for  in  section  1  of  the  Act,  fixed  the  boundaries  of  the  district 
on  October  14,  1889,  said  boundaries  covering  the  then  city  of  Chicago 
and  five  adjacent  municipalities,  and  other  outlying  territor}r,  an  area 
of  about  185  square  miles. 

The  district  was  adopted  by  popular  vote  (70,000  to  200)  at  the  gen¬ 
eral  election  of  November  5,  1889,  and  trustees  were  elected  at  the  special 
election  of  December  12.  The  board  organized  January  12,  1890,  and 
th  Supreme  Court  affirmed  the  validity  of  the  Act  on  June  12,  1890. 

The  essence  of  the  sanitary  requirements  is  expressed  in  the  following 
excerpts  from  the  law : 

Section  20  states:  “Any  channel  or  outlet  *  *  *  *  *  shall  he  of 

sufficient  size  and  capacity  to  produce  a  continuous  flow  of  water  of  at  least 
200  cubic  feet  per  minute  for  each  1,000  of  the  population  of  the  district 
drained  thereby,  and  the  same  shall  be  kept  and  maintained  of  such  size 
and  in  such  condition  that  the  water  thereof  will  be  neither  offensive  or  in¬ 
jurious  to  the  health  of  the  people  in  this  State.”  Section  23  states:  “Such 
channel  shall  be  made  and  kept  of  such  size  and  in  such  condition  as  will 
produce  and  maintain  at  all  times  a  continuous  flow  of  not  less  than  20,000 
cubic  feet  of  water  per  minute  for  each  100,000  of  the  population  of  such 
district.” 

Section  23  states  further:  “Such  channel  shall  be  constructed  of  sufficient 
size  and  capacity  to  produce  and  maintain  at  all  times  a  continuous  flow  of 
not  less  than  300,000  cubic  feet  of  water  per  minute  *****  ancj  jf 
any  portion  of  any  such  channel  shall  be  cut  through  a  territory  with  a  rock 
stratum  *****  such  portion  of  said  channel  shall  have  double  the 
flowing  capacity  above  provided  for.” 

The  waterway  provisions  are  expressed  in  the  following  excerpts : 

Section  23  provides  in  rock  for  “a  width  of  not  less  than  160  feet  at  bottom 
*  *  *  *  *  a  depth  of  not  less  than  18  feet  of  water,”  and  “if  at  any 
time  the  General  Government  shall  improve  the  Desplaines  and  Illinois 
rivers,  so  that  the  same  shall  be  capable  of  receiving  a  flow  of  600,000  cubic 
feet  per  minute  or  more  from  said  channel,  and  shall  provide  for  the  pay¬ 
ment  of  all  damages  which  any  extra  flow  above  300,000  cubic  feet  of  water 
per  minute  from  such  channel  may  cause  to  private  property  so  as  to  save 
harmless  said  district  from  all  liability  therefor,  then  such  Sanitary  District 
shall,  within  one  year  thereafter,  enlarge  the  channel  leading  into  said 
Desplaines  and  Illinois  rivers  from  said  district,  to  a  sufficient  size  and  capac¬ 
ity  to  produce  and  maintain  a  continuous  flow  throughout  the  same  of  not 
less  than  600,000  cubic  feet  of  water  per  minute,  with  a  current  of  not  more 
than  three  miles  per  hour,  and  such  channel  shall  be  constructed  on  such 
grade  as  to  be  capable  of  producing  a  depth  of  water  not  less  than  18  feet 
throughout  said  channel,  and  shall  have  a  width  of  not  less  than  160  feet  at 
bottom.” 

Section  24  is  as  follows:  “When  such  channel  shall  be  completed  and  the 
water  turned  therein  to  the  amount  of  three  hundred  thousand  cubic  feet  of 
water  per  minute,  the  same  is  hereby  declared  a  navigable  stream,  and 
whenever  the  General  Government  shall  improve  the  Desplaines  and  Illinois 
rivers  for  navigation,  to  connect  with  this  channel,  said  General  Government 
shall  have  full  control  over  the  same  for  navigation  purposes  but  not  to 
interfere  with  its  control  for  sanitary  or  drainage  purposes.” 

Section  27  states:  “If  any  such  channel  receives  its  supply  of  water  from 
any  river  or  channel  connecting  with  Lake  Michigan,  it  shall  be  construed 
as  receiving  its  supply  of  water  from  Lake  Michigan.” 

Work  on  the  main  channel  or  “outlet”  was  inauguarated  at  the  Cook 
and  Will  county  line  on  September  3,  1892.  Under  date  of  May  8, 
1899,  the  Secretary  of  War  and  the  Chief  Engineer,  U.  S.  A.,  granted 


14 


a  permit  to  divert  the  waters  of  the  Chicago  river  into  the  main  channel, 
subject  to  the  requirements  of  navigation  in  said  river,  acting  under 
general  authority  of  section  10,  River  and  Harbor  Act,  approved  March 
3,  1899.  On  May  9,  1899,  the  Governor  appointed  the  special  commission 
required  by  section  27  of  the  Sanitary  District  Act,  and  on  January  17, 
1900,  the  commission  reported  that  “The  work  is  substantially  completed 
and  meets  the  requirements  of  the  law  *  *  *  *  *  and  we  recom¬ 

mend  the  granting  of  the  final  permit,”  which  was  at  once  issued,  and 
the  bear-trap  dam  was  lowered  and  the  flow  started  at  11 :15  a.  m.  The 
special  commission  filed  an  elaborate  report  June  14,  1900. 

The  main  channel  (at  date  of  opening)  extended  from  the  junction 
with  the  West  Fork  at  Robey  street,  28.03  miles  to  the  controlling  works 
near  Lockport.  The  earth  section  extends  from  Robey  street  13.10  miles 
to  Willow  Springs,  with  bottom  width  of  202  feet  and  surface  width 
of  300  feet,  the  grade  at  Robev  street  being  24.48  feet  below 
Chicago  datum,  and  the  declivity  1-40,000.  The  earth  section 
was  completed  from  Willow  Springs  to  Summit  5.8  miles,  this  being 
territory  with  a  “rocky  stratum,”  but  a  width  of  92  feet  remains  to  be 
excavated  to  complete  the  channel  for  the  7.80  miles  between  Summit 
and  Robey  street.  The  rock  section  extends  from  Willow  Springs  14.93 
miles  to  the  controlling  works  near  Lockport,  with  a  bottom  width  of 
160  feet  and  top  width  of  162  feet  between  the  rock  and  masonry  sides, 
the  declivity  being  1-20,000  and  the  grade  at  the  controlling  works  30.1 
feet  below  Chicago  datum.  All  the  bridges  are  swing  or  bascule  bridges 
and  have  been  built  for  the  completed  channel,  and  the  right  of  way  is 
provided  and  the  work  laid  out  therefor. 

The  Desplaines  river  opposite  the  main  channel  was  re-located  for 
thirteen  miles  and  restrained  bv  embankment  for  twenty  miles,  between 
Summit  and  Lockport.  Work  was  done  to  facilitate  the  passage  of  the 
water  over  the  eight  miles  between  the  controlling  works  and  the  head 
of  Lake  Joliet,  Work  was  also  done  in  the  Chicago  river  to  facilitate 
the  passage  of  the  preliminary  volume  of  300,000  cubic  feet  of  water  per 
minute.  Work  was  begun,  by  arrangement  between  the  district  and  the 
city,  on  conduits  for  circulating  the  waters  of  the  South  Fork  and  the 
North  Branch. 

A  preliminary  determination  of  the  capacity  of  the  completed  chan¬ 
nel  was  made  by  the  expert  commission  in  1901,  (See  page  7250,  June 
19,  of  Proceedings  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Sanitary  District  of 
Chicago;  report  submitted  April  23,  1901),  as  follows: 

At  low  water  in  lake,  with  channel  so  fed  as  to  give  a  depth  of  24.4  feet 
at  Willow  Springs — 836,280  feet  per  minute. 

At  mean  lake  level,  taken  at  1.6  feet  above  low  water — 911,160  feet  per 
minute. 

At  high  lake  level,  taken  at  3.2  feet  above  low  water — 989,280  feet  per 
minute. 

The  Sanitary  District  Act  (Section  23)  also  provides: 

“The  district  constructing  a  channel  carrying  water  from  Lake  Michigan, 
of  any  amount  authorized  by  this  Act,  may  correct,  modify  and  remove  ob¬ 
structions  in  the  Desplaines  and  Illinois  rivers  wherever  it  shall  be  necessary 
so  to  do,  to  prevent  overflow  or  damage  along  said  river,  and  shall  remove 
the  dams  at  Henry  and  Copperas  Creek  in  the  Illinois  river  before  any  water 
shall  be  turned  into  said  channel.” 


15 


The  Board  of  Canal  Commissioners  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal 
are  also  to  remove  the  dams  if  at  any  time  they  find  sufficient  water  to 
give  six  feet  at  low  water  on  the  miter  sill  of  the  lower  lock  at  LaSalle. 
The  Supreme  Court  in  1900  held  that  the  authority  to  remove  was  not 
mandatory  but  permissive. 

A  contemporaneous  Act,  “An  Act  in  reference  to  the  improvement 
of  the  Illinois  and  Desplaines  rivers,  etc.,”  approved  June  4,  1889,  in 
force  July  1,  1889,  also  provided  for  the  removal  of  the  dams  by  the 
canal  commissioners  under  certain  conditions,  and  changed  the  Act  of 
cession  of  1887,  to  the  General  Government. 

Section  4  reads  as  follows:  “The  State  of  Illinois  bases  this  Act  of  cession 
upon  the  condition  that  the  plan  of  improving  the  Illinois  river  below  LaSalle 
by  slack  water  maintained  by  dams  and  locks,  be  changed  to  a  plan  of 
improvement  by  means  of  an  open  channel  in  conjunction  with  a  water 
supply  from  Lake  Michigan.” 

The  General  Assembly  of  1889,  in  addition  to  its  sanitary  and  water¬ 
way  legislation  and  in  interpretation  thereof,  passed  a  joint  resolution. 
The  first  resolution  reads  as  follows: 

“That  it  is  the  policy  of  the  State  of  Illinois  to  procure  the  construction 
of  a  waterway  of  the  greatest  practical  depth  and  usefulness  for  navigation 
from  Lake  Michigan  via  the  Desplaines  and  Illinois  rivers  to  the  Mississippi 
river,  and  to  encourage  the  construction  of  feeders  thereto  of  like  propor¬ 
tions  and  usefulness.” 

In  the  second  resolution  the  United  States  is  requested  to  change  its 
plan  of  improvement  from  locks  and  dams  to  that  of  an  open  channel, 
“in  such  manner  as  to  develop  progressively  all  the  depth  feasible  by  the 
aid  of  a  large  water  supply  from  Lake  Michigan  at  Chicago.” 

In  the  third  resolution,  the  United  States  is  requested  to  aid  in  the 
construction  of  a  channel  22  feet  deep  between  Lake  Michigan  and  Lake 
Joliet,  and  to  project  a  channel  14  feet  deep  thence  to  LaSalle,  “all  to 
be  designed  in  such  manner  as  to  permit  future  development  to  greater 
capacity.” 

In  the  joint  resolution  of  May  27,  1897,  the  foregoing-  propositions 
are  more  elaborately  and  emphatically  stated. 

The  General  Assembly  on  June  14,  1895,  by  practically  a  unanimous 
vote,  passed  a  broad  and  far-reaching  measure,  entitled :  “An  Act  to  pro¬ 
mote  the  construction  of  waterways,”  but  this  was  vetoed  by  Governor 
Altgeld,  June  26,  1895. 

The  issues  as  developed  at  that  time  were  threshed  out  at  the  Illinois 
River  Improvement  Convention,  Peoria,  October  11-12,  1887.  “The 
Lakes  and  Gulf  Waterway,”  published  bv  the  Citizens’  Association  of 
Chicago,  January,  1888,  was  prepared  by  the  authority  of  the  executive 
committee.  In  response,  Congress,  by  Act  approved  August  11,  1888, 
authorized  a  survey  for  a  channel  “not  less  than  160  feet  wide,  and  not 
less  than  14  feet  deep,”  from  LaSalle  to  Lake  Michigan.  The  official  re¬ 
port  of  Captain  W.  L.  Marshall,  the  officer  in  charge,  was  submitted 
February  28,  1890.  It  was  not  responsive  to  the  spirit  of  the  Act,  and 
breathed  an  adverse  spirit.  It  was  reviewed  at  length  by  the  chief  engin¬ 
eer  of  the  Sanitary  District  in  the  “The  Lakes  and  Gulf  Waterway  as 
Related  to  the  Chicago  Sanitary  Problem,”  August,  1890,  published  by 
subscription  May  1,  1891.  In  successive  annual  reports,  up  to  1899. 


16 


Captain  Marshall  makes  adverse  comment  upon  the  Illinois  program. 
The  River  and  Harbor  Act,  approved  June  3,  1896,  provides  for  a  fur¬ 
ther  examination  of  “the  upper  Illinois  river  and  the  lower  Desplaines 
river,”  and  a  report  is  submitted  by  Captain  Marshall  on  January  27, 
1897. 

In  1895  the  engineering  department  of  the  Sanitary  District  of  Chi¬ 
cago  completed  studies  of  the  Desplaines  and  Illinois  rivers,  and  pro¬ 
jected  a  waterway  from  Hie  end  of  the  sanitary  canal  at  Lockport  to  the 
Mississippi  river.  The  depth  of  the  sanitary  canal  was  to  be  carried  to 
Lake  Joliet,  and  16  feet  thence  to  Utica,  with  the  locks  so  treated  as  to 
admit  of  a  future  channel  of  24  feet,  thence  14  feet  in  an- open  river  to 
Grafton.  The  estimated  cost  was  $25,000,000.00.  Five  locks  were  pro¬ 
vided  between  Lockport  and  LTtica,  in  place  of  sixteen  in  the  Marshall 
project  and  nine  in  the  project  recently  submitted. 

“The  Deep  Waterways  Convention”  was  held  at  Peoria,  October  10-11, 
1899.  In  response  to  the  sentiment  developed,  the  River  and  Harbor 
Act,  approved  June  6,  1900,  instructed  the  Board  of  Engineers  which 
had  been  appointed  under  the  Act  of  March  3,  1899,  to  make  surveys  and 
t  estimates  for  seven  and  eight  feet,  to  also  report  upon  the  feasibility  of 
depths  up  to  14  feet.  This  board  (Col.  J.  W.  Barlow,  chairman)  re¬ 
ported  November  17-18,  1900,  that  a  navigable  depth  of  14  feet  was 
feasible.  The  issues  involved  were  heard  by  the  River  and  Harbor  Com¬ 
mittee  on  December  11,  1900,  and  the  Act,  approved  June  13,  1902,  (the 
bill  for  1901  failed  of  passage)  appropriated  $200,000.00  for  final  surveys 
with  project  and  estimates,  for  a  navigable  depth  of  14  feet  between  the 
end  of  the  sanitary  canal  at  Lockport  and  the  city  of  St.  Louis,  a  board 
of  engineers,  to  be  appointed,  and  the  Mississippi  River  Commission, 
to  make  the  examination  and  report.  The  report  (Col.  O.  H.  Ernst, 
chairman)  was  submitted  August  26,  1905,  (H.  R.  263,  59th  Cong., 
1st  Ses.) 

On  September  5,  1888,  and  subsequent  dates,  a  series  of  papers  were 
read  before  the  Western  Society  of  Engineers  on  “The  Levels  of  the 
Lakes  as  affected  by  the  Proposed  Lakes  and  Gulf  Waterway,”  pub¬ 
lished  in  the  Journal  of  the  Association  of  Engineering  Societies,  March, 
1889,  and  reprinted  by  the  Citizen’s  Association  of  Chicago. 

At  the  request  of  the  secretary  of  the  American  Society  of  Civil  En¬ 
gineers,  who  had  been  asked  by  the  chief  engineer  of  the  Montreal  Har¬ 
bor  Commission  of  Canada,  to  suggest  the  subject,  the  Chief  Engineer, 
U.  S.  A.,  ordered  observations  of  the  outflow  of  the  Niagara,  river,  in 
November,  1891,  and  these  were  continued  in  1892.  In  November, 
1894,  L.  E.  Cooley,  trustee  of  the  sanitary  district,  submitted  to  the 
attorney  of  the  Lake  Carriers’  Association  a  “Brief  on  Lake  Level  Ef¬ 
fects  on  Account  of  the  Sanitary  Canal  of  Chicago.”  On  petition  of 
commercial  bodies  about  the  great  lakes,  in  which  the  Chicago  board 

of  trade  joined,  the  secretary  of  war,  on . 1895,  constituted 

a  board  of  officers,  U.  S.  A.  (General  O.  M.  Poe,  chairman)  to  consider 
the  effect  of  the  proposed  diversion  of  waters  at  Chicago.  The  report 
was  submitted . 1895. 

The  LI.  S.  Board  of  Engineers  on  Deep  Waterways  made  observations 
on  the  outflow  of  the  Niagara  river  in  1897-8,  and  the  U.  S.  Lake  Sur¬ 
rey  has  since  made  observations  on  the  outflow  of  the  St.  Clair  river. 


17 


By  Act  of  June  13,  1902,  the  International  Waterways  Commission 
was  authorized,  (General  0.  H.  Ernst,  chairman,  American  Section) 
and  this  body  has  taken  the  question  of  the  diversion  of  waters  under 
advisement. 

The  State  Board  of  Health  gave  special  attention  to  the  sanitary  prob¬ 
lems  of  Chicago  from  and  after  1881,  and  published  important  con¬ 
clusions  regarding  purification  of  sewage  in  running  streams  in  1886. 
In  1887-9  elaborate  chemical  studies  were  made  of  the  stream  between 
Lake  Michigan  at  Chicago  and  the  Mississippi  river  at  St.  Louis,  and 
a  special  report  was  issued,  “Water  Supplies  of  Illinois, ”  April  3,  1889. 
The  State  board  continued  its  work  and  published  a  further  compil¬ 
ation  in  1903. 

In  1899  and  in  1900,  before  and  after  the  opening  of  the  sanitary 
canal,  elaborate  biological  examinations  were  made  under  the  direction 
of  the  Health  Commissioner  of  Chicago,  by  the  cooperation  of  the 
Health  Department  of  Chicago,  the  Chicago  University,  and  the  Uni¬ 
versity  of  Illinois.  The  report  is  dated  December  1,  1902,  (Sanitary 
District,  December,  1902)  and  is  entitled,  “Streams  Examination 
(Chemic  and  Biologic)  between  Lake  Michigan  at  Chicago  and  the  Mis¬ 
sissippi  river  at  St.  Louis.” 

On  January  17,  1900,  the  original  bill  of  complaint  was  filed  in  the 
United  States  Supreme  Court  in  the  case  of  “State  of  Missouri  against 
State  of  Illinois  and  the  Sanitary  District  of  Chicago,”  to  restrain  the 
discharge  of  the  sewrage  of  Chicago  through  an  artificial  channel  into 
the  Desplaines  river  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  The  demurrer  of  defendant 
was  overruled  and  leave  granted  to  answer  complaint.  Several  years 
were  taken  and  a  large  expense  incurred  in  preparing  the  case,  and  the 
complaint  was  finally  dismissed  on  February  19,  1906. 

The  court  in  its  opinion,  among  other  things,  says: 

“Some  stress  was  laid  on  the  proposition  that  Chicago  is  not  in  the  natural 
watershed  of  the  Mississippi,  because  of  a  rise  of  a  few  feet  between  the 
Desplaines  and  the  Chicago  rivers.  We  perceive  no  reason  for  a  distinction 
on  this  ground.  The  natural  features  relied  upon  are  of  the  smallest.  And 
if  under  any  circumstances  they  could  affect  the  case,  it  is  enough  to  say 
that  Illinois  brought  Chicago  into  the  Mississippi  watershed,  in  pursuance 
not  only  of  its  own  statutes,  but  also  of  the  Acts  of  Congress  of  March  30, 
1822,  C.  14,  3  St.  659,  and  March  2,  1827,  C.  51,  4  St.  234,  the  validity  of  which 
is  not  disputed.  Wisconsin  vs.  Duluth,  96  U.  S.,  379.  Of  course,  these  Acts 
do  not  grant  the  right  to  discharge  sewage,  but  the  case  stands  no  differently 
in  point  of  law  from  a  suit  because  of  the  discharge  from  Peoria  into  the 
Illinois,  or  from  any  other  or  all  the  other  cities  on  the  banks  of  that 
stream.” 

And  the  court  might  have  added :  “The  development  of  the  canal 
at  Chicago  simply  expresses  the  larger  demands  and  the  greater  re¬ 
sources  of  the  present  time.” 

The  lakes  and  gulf  waterway  has  been  the  subject  of  popular  consider¬ 
ation  at  many  conventions. 

The  Illinois  River  Convention,  Peoria,  Ill.,  October  11-12,  1887,  and  October 
10-11,  1899. 

Western  Waterways  Convention,  Memphis,  October  20-21,  1887;  Vicksburg, 
October  22-23,  1895;  Memphis,  November  14-15,  1900. 


— 2  L  G 


International  Deep  Waterways  Association,  Toronto,  Ontario,  September 
17-20,  1894;  Cleveland,  Ohio,  September  24-26,  1895. 

Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress,  Houston,  Texas,  April  17-20,  1900; 
Cripple  Creek,  Colorado,  July  17-20,  1901;  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  August  19-21, 
1902;  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  November  20-23,  1906. 

National  Farmers’  Congress,  Chicago,  November  11-12,  1887. 

Lakes  and  Gulf  Waterway  Convention,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  November  15-16, 
1906. 

Lakes-to-the-Gulf  Waterway  Convention,  Memphis,  Tenn.,  October  4-5, 
1907;  Chicago,  Illinois,  October  7-8-9,  1908. 

In  addition  to  the  titles  mentioned  in  the  text,  the  following  are  re¬ 
ferred  to : 

Testimony  before  the  Joint  Committee  of  the  General  Assembly,  April, 

1887,  printed  by  the  Citizens’  Association  of  Chicago. 

“The  Hennepin  Canal,”  Chicago  Morning  News,  April  7,  1886,  Chicago  Tri¬ 
bune,  December  11,  1886. 

“Future  of  Chicago,”  Chicago  Morning  News,  January  1,  1887. 

“The  Waterway  between  Lake  Michigan  and  the  Mississippi  river  by  way 
of  the  Illinois  river,”  read  before  the  Engineers’  Club  of  St.  Louis,  May  30, 

1888,  by  Robert  E.  McNath,  reprinted  from  Journal  of  Association  of  Engin¬ 
eering  Societies  by  Citizens’  Association  of  Chicago. 

“Vision  of  Empire,”  Chicago  Morning  News,  February  18,  1889. 

“The  Sanitary  and  Ship  Canal  of  Chicago;  Solution  of  the  Sanitary  Prob¬ 
lem,”  read  before  the  National  Conference  of  State  Boards  of  Health,  at  Chi¬ 
cago,  June  10,  1896,  printed  in  proceedings. 

Report  of  the  “Pure  Water  Commission,”  (intercepting  sewer  system) 
February  8,  1897.  Proceedings  of  city  council  March  1,  1897. 

6.  Growth  in  Ideas. 

A  canal  at  Chicago  was  obvious  to  the  first  white  man  that  crossed  the 
Chicago  Divide.  The  early  promotion  was  for  a  “ship  canal,”  some¬ 
thing  larger  than  a  horse-boat  canal.  This  meant  a  depth  of  9  to  10 
feet,  or  that  of  the  original  St.  Lawrence  and  Welland  canals.  The 
depths  naturally  available  in  the  intermediate  channels  of  the  Great 
Lakes  and  the  St.  Lawrence,  did  not  exceed  10  feet,  and  all  the  original 
ideas  were  based  on  this  limit. 

When  Mr.  Charles  T.  Harvey  (still  living)  projected  the  first  canal 
at  Sault  Ste  Marie  (built  1852-5  with  locks  350  bv  70  feet  and  a  depth 
of  12  feet,  thus  anticipating  some  future  development,  the  project  was 
the  subject  of  protest  by  the  then  largest  vessel  owner  of  the  Great 
Lakes,  Mr.  E.  B.  Ward  of  Detroit. 

Alien  the  Canadian  authorities  projected  the  enlarged  Welland  and 
St.  Lawrence  canals  in  1871,  they  found  but  one  commercial  body  about 
the  Great  Lakes  to  suggest  lock  dimensions  as  large  as  those  adopted, 
or  270  by  45  by  12  feet.  In  1875,  the  projected  depth  was  increased  to 
14  feet. 

Alien  Gen.  O.  M.  Poe  projected  24  feet  for  the  last  lock  built  at 
Saulte  Ste  Marie  and  opened  in  1895,  he  found  no  marine  interests  that 
desired  more  than  18  feet,  and  had  to  content  himself  with  21  feet. 

It  was  not  until  1858  that  12  feet  was  available  in  the  intermediate 
channels  of  the  Great  Lakes,  and  13  feet  was  not  available  until  1871. 
In  1874-83  the  channels  were  deepened  to  16  feet,  and  to  20  feet  by 
1895. 


19 


•  >. 

In  the  St.  Lawrence  below  Montreal,  15  feet  was  available  by  1852, 
20  feet  in  1869,  22  feet  in  1818,  25  feet  in  1882,  and  27%  feet  by  1890, 
and  greater  depths  are  now  being  developed.  The  Welland  canal  was 
opened  for  12  feet  in  1883,  and  14  feet  in  1888. 

The  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal  had  been  opened  bnt  ten  years 
when  John  B.  Preston  made  his  project  (1858)  for  a  steamboat  canal 
7  feet  deep,  with  a  water  supply  from  Lake  Michigan  for  the  improve¬ 
ment  of  the  alluvial  river  below  Utica.  After  another  ten  years  this 
jmoject,  minus  the  water  supply,  took  root  in  the  official  mind,  and  only 
since  1900,  has  the  idea  of  deep  water,  not  less  than  14  feet,  to  be  ob¬ 
tained  by  the  aid  of  a  water  supply  from  Lake  Michigan,  been  tolerated, 
although  the  General  Assemblv  of  Illinois  declared  this  to  be  the  policy 
of  the  State  in  1889.  That  Chicago  and  Illinois  should  attempt  some¬ 
thing  that  looks  to  the  future — that  will  not  be  obsolete  before  it  can  be 
completed — is  made  the  subject  of  prejudice.  The  authorities  seem  to 
be  more  concerned  in  framing  an  indictment  than  in  finding  remedies 
which  will  conserve  other  vested  interests,  and  permit  the  development 
of  a  waterway  project,  continental  in  scope  and  the  greatest  of  a  century. 
The  issue  is  a.  waterway  from  the  lakes  to  the  gulf,  as  great  as  the 
physical  conditions  will  permit,  not  limited  in  its  future  development 
by  the  works  which  it  may  now  be  expedient  to  construct,  and  this  may 
be  had  without  damage  to  any  vested  interests.  Against  this  proposi¬ 
tion  is  conservatism,  and  the  prejudice  of  centralized  authority  which 
objects  to  the  projects  of  states  and  localities,  even  though  they  be 
acting  within  their  sovereign  rights.  The  history  of  the  Illinois  water- 
wav  is  a  historv  of  bold  and  far-reaching  ideas  and  official  blight. 


20 


Part  II.  Divisions  of  Route. 


7.  The  Chicago  Divide. 

The  Chicago  Divide  as  herein  used,  covers  the  old  outlet  from  the 
heal  of  the  pool  known  as  Lake  Joliet  and  immediately  below  the  city  of 
Joliet,  to  the  present  shore  line  cf  Lake  Michigan,  a  distance  of  thirty- 
nine  miles  by  the  route  of  the  sanitary  canal,  prolonged  to  the  Lake 
Shore,  and  some  four  miles  farther  by  the  branch  valley  of  the  Sag, 
turning  the  south  end  of  the  Blue  Island  ridge. 

The  site  of  Chicago  is  the  floor  of  an  old  bay,  extending  in  ten  miles 
to  Summit.  Bock  domes  come  to  the  surface  at  Fullerton  avenue  on  the 
north,  Western  avenue  on  the  west,  and  Archer  road  on  the  south; 
and  within  these  limits  are  deep  alluvial  clays  that  furnish  uncertain 
sites  for  tall  buildings,  but  these  thin  out  over  the  compact  drift  clays 
toward  Summit.  All  the  varying  material  of  an  ancient  stream-bed  over- 
lies  the  uneven  rock  surface  of  the  Desplaines  valley  for  the  eleven  miles 
between  Summit  and  Sag,  and  for  the  two  miles  farther  to  the  rock  floor 
above  Lemont.  Half  of  the  sixteen  miles  over  the  rock  bed  to  Lake 
Joliet  has  a  slope  of  one  or  two  feet  per  mile,  and  the  lower  half,  eight 
to  ten  feet  per  mile  to  the  pool  level  76.5  feet  below  Lake  Michigan. 
At  the  head  of  this  declivity  are  the ‘pot-holes  of  the  ancient  rapids,  and 
at  the  foot  is  the  pool  dug  twenty-five  feet  or  more  deep  in  the  Cincin¬ 
nati  limestone,  overlying  the  more  resisting  Niagara  limestone,  the 
mother  rock  of  the  Chicago  Divide. 

The  old  shore  line  of  the  Calumet  region  lies  at  Biverdale,  six  miles 
from  the  present  lake  shore ;  thence  is  nineteen  miles  of  old  stream-bed 
through  the  Sag  valley,  similar  to  the  Desplaines  valley  below  Summit. 
The  northern  drainage  of  the  Valparaiso  moraine,  from  opposite  Mich¬ 
igan  City,  gathers  behind  the  old  forty  foot  beach  ridge,  flowing  westerly 
and  turning  at  Blue  Island  to  cross  the  old  shore  at  Biverdale.  The 
Calumet  formerly  continued  east  of  the  State  line,  but  in  historic  times 
it  broke  across  into  the  outlet  of  Lake  Calumet  and  developed  its 
present  course  to  the  lake.  The  Calumet  region  in  Illinois  and  Indiana 
is  generally  low-lying,  and  the  southward  shore-drift  accumulated  in 
broad  ridges  of  beach  material.  The  modern  lake  is  repeating  the  past, 
and  winds  drive  the  finer  sands  away  in  dunes,  especially  around  the 
easterly  head  of  the  lake. 

The  Chicago  basin  proper,  east  of  Summit  and  north  of  Eighty- 
seventh  street,  including  the  shore  drainage  to  the  north  limit  of  Lake 
Forest,  has  an  area  of  329  square  miles  (includes  original  sanitary  dis¬ 
trict,  except  west  of  Summit,  and  the  north  shore  annex.) 

The  Desplaines  river  basin  north  of  Summit  has  an  area  of  634  square 
miles,  and  776  square  miles  to  the  head  of  Lake  Joliet,  omitting  the 
drainage  of  Hickory  Creek. 


21 


The  Calumet  basin  south  of  Eighty-seventh  street,  including  the  Sag 
and  the  shore  drainage  to  twelve  miles  east  of  the  State  line,  has  an 
area  of  825  square  miles,  473  of  which  lie  in  the  state  of  Indiana. 

The  total  of  these  several  basins  is  1,930  square  miles.  If  these 
streams  should  all  yield  flood  waters  in  proportion  to  that  from  the 
Desplaines  river,  and  were  all  gathered  in  one  outlet  at  Lake  Joliet,  the 
aggregate  flood  would  be  28,400  second-feet  on  the  basis  of  the  great 
flood  of  1881,  at  Riverside,  assuming  the  normal  basin  ratios. 

Such  considerations  have  led  to  the  proposed  diversion  of  the  upland 
waters  of  the  Desplaines  and  Calumet,  in  all  the  projects  for  the  drain¬ 
age  of  Chicago  and  its  environs.  Thus  a  separate  course  was  laid  out 
and  constructed  for  the  Desplaines  river,  opposite  the  sanitary  canal 
between  Summit  and  Lockport. 

The  Sanitary  District  of  Chicago,  as  originally  organized  has  an  area 
of  185  square  miles  and  a  population  of  1,687,972,  by  the  federal  census 

of  1900. 


The  Act  of  the  General  Assembly,  approved  May  14,  1903,  in  force 
July  1,  1903,  annexed  the  north  shore,  in  Cook  county,  with  an  area  of 

78.6  square  miles  and  a  population  of  40,280  in  1900;  also  the  Calumet 
region  with  an  area  of  94.5  square  miles,  and  a  population  of  97,324  in 
1900.  The  present  district  has  therefore  an  area  of  358.1  square  miles, 
and  a  population  of  1,825,576  by  the  census  of  1900. 

The  Expert  Commission  of  1901  proposed  also  to  annex  an  area  of 

16.6  square  miles  adjacent  to  the  lake  shore  in  Lake  county,  Illinois, 
and  extending  to  the  north  limits  of  Lake  Forest,  all  of  which  can  be 
drained  into  the  channels  of  the  Sanitary  District.  This  territory  had 
a  population  of  7,190  in  1900.  Farther  north  and  along  the  shore  to 
the  Wisconsin  line,  is  an  additional  population  of  12,600,  which  cannot 
be  made  tributary.  The  total  north  of  the  present  district  in  Illinois  is 
19,790.  East  of  the  State  line  in  Indiana,  on  an  area  of  47.5  square 
miles,  is  a  population  of  21,034  in  1900.  The  total  population  of  the 
Illinois  and  Indiana  front,  outside  of  the  present  Sanitary  District,  is 
therefore  40,824,  and  the  grand  total  is  1,866,400. 

The  main  channel  of  the  Sanitary  District,  as  it  existed  at  the  time 
that  it  was  opened,  January  17,  1900,  is  described  under  topic  5.  There 
has  recently  been  completed  an  extension  of  the  channel  for  3.3  miles 
from  the  controlling  works  to  the  upper  limits  of  Joliet,  and  the  Chicago 
river  is  in  process  of  widening  to  a  uniform  width  of  200  feet  and  a 
central  depth  of  twenty-six  feet,  with  bascule  bridges  throughout,  and  the 
tunnels  beneath  the  river  are  being  lowered.  Work  has  also  been  done 
in  the  pool  of  dam  No.  1  at  Joliet,  and  on  the  conduits  and  pumping 
works  leading  to  the  South  Fork  at  Thirty-ninth  street,  and  to  the 
North  Branch  on  Lawrence  avenue.  The  average  yearly  flow  through 
the  main  channel,  in  feet  per  minute,  has  been  as  follows: 


1900,  188.136. 

1901,  242,323. 

1902,  257,006. 

1903,  299,299. 

1904,  290,000. 

1905,  268,829. 

1906,  267,903. 

1907,  307,186. 


Average  of  49  weeks. 
Average  of  52  weeks. 
Average  of  52  weeks. 
Average  of  52  weeks. 
Average  of  52  weeks. 
Average  of  52  weeks. 
Average  of  51  weeks. 
Average  of  52  weeks. 


22 


The  following  table  gives  the  characteristic  reaches  from  Lake  Mich¬ 
igan  at  the  month  of  the  Chicago  river,  to  Brandon’s  bridge  at  the  head 
of  Lake  J oliet : 


Locality. 

Distance- 

miles. 

Width  of 
channel— feet. 

Remarks. 

Lake  Michigan  . 

0  0 

Head  of  pier . 

South  F ork  J  unction . 

5.37 

200 

Robey  st . 

6.02 

200 

Canal  entrance . 

Summit  . 

13.82 

110 

Bottom  width  in  earth 

Willow  Springs . 

19.12 

202 

Bottom  width  in  earth 

Sag  Junction . 

24.20 

160 

Rock  cut . 

Controlling  w’orks . 

34.05 

160 

Rock  cut . 

Water  Power  Station . 

36.05 

160 

Least  width . 

Dam  No.  1,  Joiiet . 

38.70 

Head  Lake,  Joliet . 

41.30 

Brandon’s  bridge  .... 

The  quantities  handled  in  excavating  the  main  channel,  the  river 
diversion,  and  the  Chicago  river,  are  as  follows: 


Hock,  in  place,  cubic  yards  . 14,388,118 

Earth,  cubic  yards  . . . 32,962,772 

Masonry,  cubic  yards  .  632,244 


The  total  expenditures  of  the  Sanitary  District  for  all  purposes,  to 
December  31,  1906,  are  $52,698,024.98. 

8.  The  Upper  Illinois. 

The  Upper  Illinois  division  covers  56.2  miles  from  the  head  of  Lake 
Joliet  at  Brandon’s  bridge,  on  the  Desplaines  river,  to  the  head  of  the 
Henry  pool  at  Utica  bridge,  though  geographically,  the  Illinois  river 
is  formed  by  the  union  of  the  Desplaines  and  Kankakee  rivers,  thirteen 
miles  below  Brandon’s  bridge. 

The  valley  of  erosion  headed  for  Lake  Michigan,  is  a  case  of  arrested 
development,  with  declivities  adjusted  to  the  resisting  rock  stratification. 
Through  the  valley  bottom,  the  modern  stream  has  defined  its  course, 
and  a  normal  stream-bed  has  developed  with  true  flood  plains,  though 
unfilled  remnants  of  an  older  and  greater  stream-bed  still  exist,  show¬ 
ing  progressive  shrinkage  in  the  survey  period.  These  old  pools  still 
aggregate  a  length  of  twenty-two  miles,  and  still  carry  a  good  depth 
of  water — Lake  Joliet,  at  76.5  feet  below  Chicago  datum,  (low*  water  of 
1847  in  Lake  Michigan),  Lake  DuPage  at  90.2  feet,  and  Marseilles  pool, 
originally  above  the  Ivickapoo  reef,  but  now  controlled  by  the  dam,  at 
101.4  feet.  All  elevations  refer  to  the  low  water  of  1883. 

Between  the  lakes,  Joliet  and  DuPage,  are  sharp  pitches,  Treat’s 
Island,  and  the  dump  at  the  DuPage  river  mouth,  and  again  over  Cin¬ 
cinnati  limestone,  below  Lake  DuPage,  and  opposite  the  mouth  of  the 
Kankakee.  The  Marseilles  dam  is  25.8  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the 
Kankakee,  and  38.8  miles  below  Brandon’s  bridge.  It  is  at  the  head  of 
a  descent,  in  the  coal  measures,  dropping  some  twenty-eight  feet  in  six 
miles,  and  at  Ottawa,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Fox,  the  level  is  132.2  feet 
below  Chicago  datum.  From  Marseilles  to  Utica  bridge  is  17.4  miles, 
the  bed  below  the  rapids  in  St.  Peters  sandstone,  with  a  fall  of  about 
half  a  foot  per  mile  to  the  lower  end  of  Buffalo  Pock;  thence  some 


23 


twelve  feet  in  four  miles,  to  Starved  Eock,  the  declivity  terminating 
on  the  water  line  outcrop  0.3  miles  above  Utica  bridge.  The  original 
low  water  elevation  (1871)  at  this  point,  was  approximately,  147  feet 
below  Chicago  datum ;  but  the  pool  level  produced  by  the  dam  at  Henry, 
is  142.2  feet  below  Chicago  datum,  (low  water  of  1883)  with  a  declivity 
of  some  0.6  feet  in  the  following  two  and  a  half  miles,  the  channel  at 
the  head  of  the  pool  having  greatly  silted  in  recent  times. 

From  the  head  of  Lake  Joliet  to  the  head  of  the  pool  at  Starved  Eock, 
also  the  head  of  the  alluvial  valley  of  the  lower  Illinois,  is  then  55.9 
miles,  with  an  original  fall  of  70.5  feet,  and  a  present  fall  of  4.8  feet 
less.  The  river  throughout  this  distance  has  an  average  width  of  about 
600  feet,  generally  subdivided  by  islands  below  Ottawa,  and  the  bank 
heights  vary  from  eight  to  twenty-three  feet.  These  banks  are  over¬ 
flowed,  more  or  less,  in  two  years  out  of  three. 

A  flood  record  was  kept  at  Morris  by  Mr.  L.  W.  Claypool,  for  the 
fifty-six  years,  1834  to  1890.  This  shows  twenty  years  in  which  the 
river  was  not  out  of  banks,  and  fifty-three  floods  in  the  other  thirty-six 
years.  Of  these,  seventeen  exceeded  seventeen  feet  above  low  water,  nine¬ 
teen  ranged  from  fourteen  to  seventeen  feet,  and  seventeen  ranged  from 
ten  to  fourteen  feet.  The  time  out  of  banks  averaged  nine  days  for 
the  flood  years. 

Mr.  ClaypooTs  estimate  of  the  overflowed  lands  above  Marseilles  dam, 
in  LaSalle  and  Grundy  counties,  is  still  the  most  satisfactory,  and  these 
lands  cover  seventy-five  per  cent  of  the  values  between  Joliet  and  Utica. 
The  estimate  is  as  follows : 

Under  10  feet  . . . . .  905  acres  11  per  cent 

From  10  to  14-15  . . 4,050  acres  52  per  cent 

14-15  to  18  . 2,085  acres  27  per  cent 

18  to  20  feet  .  739  acres  10  per  cent 


Total  . 7,779  acres  100  per  cent 

(20  to  23  feet  390  acres.) 

On  a  comparable  basis,  the  total  overflowed  lands  in  Will  county,  were 
estimated  at  1,000  acres,  250  of  which  are  marginal  lands  of  little  value, 
and  the  remainder  chiefly  in  Treat’s  Island,  and  the  bottoms  of  DuPage 
river  and  Jackson  creek. 

The  lands  between  Marseilles  and  Utica,  for  the  equivalent  stage  of 
twenty  feet  at  Morris,  have  been  estimated  at  3,050  acres,  about  two- 
thirds  of  the  area  being  in  the  four  miles  below  Buffalo  Eock,  and  more 
affected  by  back  water  from  the  lower  river  than  by  head  water  floods. 
These  lands  are  largely  infertile. 

The  value  of  all  these  lands  was  carefully  estimated  in  1890,  as 
follows:  11,829  acres,  $618,240.00. 

Mr.  ClaypooTs  plane  of  reference  happens  to  be  an  even  hundred  feet 
below  Chicago  datum,  by  the  last  survey,  and  0.3  feet  above  the  low 
water  of  1883,  at  Morris  bridge  (built  in  1856)  and  0.66  feet  above  the 
low  water  of  1887,  and  less  than  a  foot  above  the  lowest  known  water. 
The  highest  known  flood  at  Morris  was  twenty-three  feet,  and  was  ob¬ 
served  by  William  Marquis,  in  March,  1830.  The  Claypool  record  be¬ 
gins  with  Mr.  ClaypooTs  arrival  in  Morris  in  March,  1834.  In  the 
thirty-four  years,  (1834-67),  thirteen  floods  occurred  exceeding  seven- 


24 


teen  feet,  and  seven  of  these  ranged  between  19.5  and  20.5  feet.  The 
four  notable  floods  in  the  twenty-two  following  years,  (1868-89)  all 
ranged  between  seventeen  and  eighteen  feet,  the"  excessive  height  of 
1883  being  due  to  the  breaking  of  the  ice  gorge  and  the  great  dam  al; 
Wilmington,  and  the  loosing  of  the  waters  stored  in  the  twelve  mile 
pool  above.  The  two  most  notable  floods  since  1890  are,  1892  at  20.6 
feet,  and  1904  at  19.2  feet. 

Of  the  fifty-three  floods,  from  1834  to  1890,  thirty-eight  have  oc¬ 
curred  in  the  three  months,  February,  March  and  April,  the  majority 
being  identified  with  the  spring  breakup.  The  Kankakee  usually  breaks 
up  and  runs  out  before  the  ice  moves  at  Morris  and  at  other  points  in  the 
Upper  Illinois,  thus  producing  ice  gorges  and  abnormal  stages  of  water. 
Such  action  has  been  less  frequent  since  the  shores  and  islands  were 
cleared  of  their  timber. 


The  ice  flood  of  February,  1887,  was  one  of  the  four  notable  floods  in 
the  1868-89  period,  and  its  volume  was  carefully  estimated  from  the 
heights  on  dams,  as  follows : 

'  Second  feet 


Joliet,  Desplaines  river  . .  5,575 

Wilmington,  Kankakee  river  . 25,225 

Marseilles,  Illinois  river  . 45,000 

Dayton,  Fox  river  . 13,680 

Ottawa,  (sum  of  the  above)  . 58,680 

LaSalle,  estimated  . 60,000 


The  greatest  flood  at  Joliet  in  thirty-three  years  prior  to  1890,  was 
estimated  at  6,550  feet.  The  greatest  flood  at  Wilmington,  in  the  nine¬ 
teen  years  prior  to  1890,  (ice  gorge  flood  of  1883  excepted)  was  esti¬ 
mated  at  35,600  second  feet.  The  flood  of  1887  was  considered  extra¬ 
ordinary  for  the  Fox. 

Full  measurements  made  at  Morris  after  1890,  indicate  that  the  ice 
flood  of  1887,  was  abnormally  high  by  about  two  feet,  or  that  the  esti¬ 
mated  volumes  from  the  dams  were  short  by  fifteen  to  twenty  per  cent, 
which  is  not  probable. 

The  flood  of  20.6  feet  at  Morris,  in  May,  1892,  is  probably  the  greatest 
in  the  historic  period,  that  of  March,  1830,  being  no  doubt  abnormal 
from  ice  effects.  This  flood  was  measured  by  Charles  L.  Harrison, 
Assistant  Engineer,  Sanitary  District  of  Chicago,  on  May  6,  and  the 
volume  found  at  73,730  second  feet.  All  the  available  data  were  re¬ 
duced  for  the  Sanitary  District  by  James  A.  Seddon,  in  1901,  and  the 
equivalents  for  Morris  deduced  as  follows:  (Claypool  datum.) 


70,000  second  feet 
65,000  second  feet 
60,000  second  feet 
55,000  second  feet 
50,000  second  feet 
45,000  second  feet 
40,000  second  feet 
35,000  second  feet 
30,000  second  feet 
25,000  second  feet 
20,000  second  feet 
15,000  second  feet 
10,000  second  feet 


20.30  feet  in  height 
19.47  feet  in  height 
18.60  feet  in  height 
17.68  feet  in  height 
16.70  feet  in  height 
15.65  feet  in  height 
14.52  feet  in  height 
13.29  feet  in  height 
11.94  feet  in  height 
10.43  feet  in  height 

8.79  feet  in  height 

6.92  feet  in  height 

4.79  feet  in  height 


25 


The  basin  areas  of  the  Upper  Illinois  are  as  follows: 


Desplaines  R.,  1392  sq.  mi 
Kankakee  R.,  5148  sq.  mi. 

Morris  . . 

Marseilles  . 

Ottawa  (Fox  R.)  . 

Utica  Bridge  . . 


{ 

f 


6540  sq.  mi 

7300  sq.  mi. 
7500  sq.  mi. 
10230  sq.  mi. 
10365  sq.  mi. 


Distance  from 
Brandon’s  Bridge. 

13  mi. 

22.7  mi. 

38.8  mi. 

46.2  mi. 

56.2  mi. 


The  extreme  flood  expectation  in  the  Morris-Marseilles  reach,  is 
70,000  second  feet,  taking  the  basin  as  normal.  The  flood  of  1892  seems 
to  have  reached  the  limit  for  streams  in  this  region  of  the  country. 

The  natural  low  water  volume  of  the  Illinois  at  Morris  is  nominal, 
not  exceeding  250  to  350  second  feet  in  1887,  practically  at  extreme  low 
water,  after  allowing  for  canal  water  from  Lake  Michigan.  A  measure¬ 
ment  of  456  second  feet  was  made  on  the  Kankakee  river  near  its  mouth, 
in  September,  1867.  Extreme  low  water  at  Wilmington  for  twelve  years, 
1871-83,  was  estimated  at  420  second  feet.  The  Desplaines  river  prac¬ 
tically  goes  dry  above  Joliet.  The  Mazon  was  dry  in  1867.  The  Fox 
measured  526  second  feet  in  September,  1867.  The  canal  authorities 
have  measured  a  low  water  of  633  feet  at  LaSalle. 

Assuming  an  ordinary  low  wrater  volume  of  1,000  second  feet,  the 
effect  of  introducing  10,000  second  feet  from  Lake  Michigan,  at  Morris, 
will  be  to  raise  the  water  5.2  feet  above  the  Claypool  plane,  and  for  14,- 
000  feet  to  6.9  feet. 

Extreme  floods  may  be  assigned  to  two  causes;  heavy  winter  snow 
on  a  frozen  ground  surface,  produces  a  great  breakup  rise,  followed  by 
extreme  low  water,  as  in  1867  and  1887.  Again,  long  continued  rains 
fill  the  ground  and  marshes  to  overflowing  and  the  excess  runs  away 
in  a  great  flood,  as  in  the  several  great  floods  of  May  and  June.  In 
long  continued  dry  periods  the  storage  of  marshes  and  ponds  is  ex¬ 
hausted,  and  as  the  sub-soil  is  generally  impermeable,  extreme  low  water 
follows.  In  ordinary  years,  the  floods  are  moderate  and  the  low  water 
volume  well  sustained. 

It  is  evident  that  any  improvement  for  navigation  should  modify 
the  regimen  of  the  stream  as  greatly  as  possible,  rather  than  as  little 
as  possible,  as  in  all  official  projects.  In  adapting  the  Mohawk  river 
(N.  Y.)  to  a  deep-wrater  navigation,  the  Board  of  Engineers  on  Deep 
Waterways,  (1897-1900)  projected  a  depth  of  thirty  feet,  even  for  a 
navigable  limit  of  twenty-one  feet,  in  order  to  bring  flood  velocity  and 
slope  within  moderate  limits.  In  like  manner,  the  capacity  of  the  prism 
in  the  Upper  Illinois  is  conditioned  by  flood  volumes,  without  regard  to 
the  depth  required  for  navigation.  A  project  developed  on  such  prin¬ 
ciples,  not  only  provides  a  deep  water  channel,  but  substantially  does 
away  with  overflows,  and  makes  possible  water  power  development. 


9.  The  Lower  Illinois. 

.  The  Lower  Illinois  river  is  227.5  miles  in  length  from  the  Utica 
bridge  to  the  mouth,  not  greatly  exceeding  the  length  of  the  valley.  The 
width  is  generally  600  to  700  feet,  expanding  in  the  lower  third  of  the 


26 


course  to  a  width  of  over  1,000  feet  as  the  mouth  is  approached.  The 
bank  height  ranges  from  eight  to  fifteen  feet  and  averages  about  11.5 
feet,  or  about  half  the  height  of  the  greatest  floods,  like  those  of  1842 
and  1858,  which  covered  from  600  to  100  square  miles  of  bottoms.  The 
original  low  water  declivity  was  normally  twenty-seven  to  twenty-eight 
feet,  and  in  notable  floods,  twenty-eight  to  thirty  feet,  (below  LaSalle), 
varying  greatly  with  the  relative  stages  in  the  Illinois  and  in  the 
Mississippi. 

The  Wilson  report  of  1867  says:  “With  a  sluggish  current  *  *  * 
the  river  wanders  through  a  valley  of  swampy  land,  varying  in  width 
from  one  and  a  half  to  six  miles,"  and  again,  “the  straight  reaches  are 
almost  invariably  deep  with  a  muddy  bottom,  the  shallows  occur  at 
elbows,  at  confluent  channels  and  at  the  mouth  of  creeks."  The  re¬ 
port  of  1868  states:  “The  depths  are  reduced  almost  every  season,  up¬ 
on  the  shoals  in  the  bed  of  the  stream,  until  they  do  not  exceed  an 
average  of  twenty  inches,  thus  in  fact  suspending  navigation  for  periods 
ranging  from  sixty  to  ninety  days."  The  report  of  1890  states  that 
the  bottom  lands  are  “cut  up  by  numerous  sloughs,  lagoons  and  ponds;" 
and  again,  “at  about  the  nine  foot  stage  *  *  *  the  basins  and  lagoons 

begin  to  fill,  at  ten  to  eleven  feet  the  lowest  areas,  worthless  for  culti¬ 
vation,  begin  to  be  submerged,  and  at  about  the  twelve  foot  stage  over¬ 
flow  begins  to  become  widespread.  At  about  the  sixteen  foot  stage 
probably  eight-tenths  of  all  lands  submerged  at  extreme  floods  are  cov¬ 
ered  with  water." 

Every  evidence  shows  that  the  low  grade  of  the  Lower  Illinois  is  in¬ 
herited  from  the  mighty  stream  of  the  past,  and  that  the  ancient  stream- 
bed  is  under  transformation  to  the  requirements  of  the  present  local 
drainage,  a  process  involving  geologic  time.  The  detritus  from  tribu¬ 
taries  has  crowded  the  modern  stream  toward  the  opposite  bluff,  nar¬ 
rowed  its  width  and  steepened  the  slope,  and  has  caused  ridges  of  higher 
lands  across  the  bottoms,  leaving  remnants  of  the  old  stream-bed  in  in¬ 
termediate  reaches  and  lagoons  and  ponds  in  the  inter-spacial  areas. 
The  contributions  have  been  insufficient  to  build  the  bottoms  to  much 
more  than  half  the  height  of  the  flood  plain  for  normal  alluvial  rivers, 
and  the  bank-full  capacity  is  but  a  minor  fraction,  one-third  to  one- 
fourth  the  volume,  of  notable  floods.  A  study  of  the  evolution  of  the 
stream  makes  clear  its  similar  character  among  western  rivers. 


27 


Drainage  Divisions — Lower  Illinois  River. 


Division. 

Drainage. 

Area  Square  Miles. 

Per  cent. 

Length  of 
division- 
miles. 

Partial. 

Total. 

Upper  Illinois  . 

Above  Utica . 

10, 365 
1,317 
165 

480 

310 

1,217 

1,730 

1,870 

5,670 

1, 385 
320 

290 

472 

275 

525 

985 

538 

Upper  Division . 

Vermilion  river . 

Other  drainage . 

11,847 

42.4 

(6.5)  . 

Bureau  creek . 

Middle  Division . 

Kickapoo  creek . 

Mackinaw  river . 

Other  drainage . 

Spoon  river . . 

3,737 

13.4 

103.4 

Lower  Division . 

Sangamon  river . 

Crooked  creek . 

Other  drainage . 

9, 245 

33.1 

36.0 

Indian  creek . 

Total . 

McCees  river. 

Mauvais  Terres . 

Apple  creek . 

Macoupin  creek . 

Other  drainage . 

3,085 

11. 1 

81.6 

27,914 

100.0 

227.5 

The  accompanying  table  shows  that  42.4  per  cent  of  the  basin  lies 
above  LaSalle-Pern  and  virtually  pertains  to  the  upper  river.  The 
upper  division  of  the  lower  river,  above  Havana  and  nearly  half  the  total 
length,  receives  the  drainage  from  only  13.4  per  cent  of  the  basin,  the 
most  considerable  tributary  being  the  Mackinaw.  The  middle  division 
receives  33.1  per  cent  of  the  drainage  in  a  length  of  thirty-six  miles — 
the  Spoon,  the  Sangamon  and  Crooked  creek — or  nearly  sixty  per  cent 
of  the  area  below  LaSalle-Peru.  The  lower  division  receives  but  11.1 
per  cent  of  the  drainage,  in  more  than  one-third  the  length  of  the  river, 
and  the  largest  tributary,  Macoupin  creek,  drains  less  than  one  thousand 
miles. 

Detritus  from  the  upper  basin  has  made  bottoms  and  defines  the 
stream-bed,  but  has  not  been  sufficient  to  obliterate  the  remnant  of  the 
old  stream-bed,  Lake  Peoria.  Local  drainage  from  Peoria  to  Pekin 
has  given  a  narrow  stream-bed,  and  bottoms  unusually  well  built  up. 
The  central  basin  has  filled  in  very  extensive  bottom  lands  opposite  and 
below  the  large  tributaries,  while  in  the  lower  division  extensive  bayou 
and  lagoon  development  is  left  between  the  several  minor  tributaries. 

These  conditions  affect  the  low  water  distribution  and  the  flood  regi¬ 
men.  The  upper  basin  and  the  central  basin  are  frequently  not  in  the 
same  storm  track.  A  headwater  flood  fills  the  bottoms  from  above  and 
lessens  in  height  down  stream,  while  a  central  basin  flood  has  been 
known  to  run  up  stream  over  the  dam  at  Copperas  creek.  Flood  con¬ 
ditions  are  also  greatly  influenced  by  the  stage  of  water  in  the  Missis- 


28 


sippi  at  Grafton,  coincidence  in  time  of  high  water  being  the  exception 
rather  than  the  rule.  Floods  have  been  recorded  in  the  Mississippi 
river  at  Grafton  higher  in  elevation  than  the  original  low  water  plane 
at  Utica. 

Physical  Elements — Lower  Illinois  River. 


Utica  bridge . 

Illinois  and  Michigan  canal.. 

Hennepin  canal . 

Henry  dam . 

(Opened  Oct.,  1871) . 


0  0  147.0 
536  147,8 
696  149.2 
754  150.31 


Chillicothe . 

Peoria . 

Pekin . 

Copperas  Creek  dam  . 
(Completed  Occ.,1877) 


47.9 

67.3 

76.6 

92.8 


738 

1,698 

604 

653 


150.8 

151.2 
152.4 

154.2 


Havana . 

Sangamon  river. . . . 

Beardstown . 

LaGrange  dam . 

(Opened  Oct.,  1889) 


109.9 

129.8 

141.3 

152.1 


603  155.1 
636  158.4 
679  160.0 
732  161.8 


142.6 
143.4 

143.6 

143.7 

147.8 

147.9 
148.2 

148.2 

148.3 

152.8 

153.1 

153.6 

153.8 
154,0 
162.0 


120.8 

122.3 

124.7 

126.0 


10.4 

11.0 

9.4 


8-13 

8- 15 

9- 11 


LaSalle-Peru . 

Above  Hennepin  .. 
Crest  of  dam,  143. 9.. 


Below  dam 


126.7 
128.1 

131.8 
133.6 


11.4 

7.1 

11.0 

13.7 


7-15  Railway  bridge. 

4-12  Wagon&  Ry. bridge 

4-15  Railway  bridge _ 

12-15  Crest  of  dam,  148.0. 


135.4 

10.0 

7-12 

138.3 

11.0 

9-12 

139.9 

11.5 

10-13 

141.4 

11.4 

8-15 

Below  dam . 

Bridge . 

Two  miles  above. .. 

Wagon  bridge . 

Crest  of  dam,  154. 4.. 
Below  dam . 


Wabash  Ry . 

Alton  Ry . 

Kampsville  dam.... 
(Opened  Sept.,  1893) 


168.1 

186.6 

198.1 


783  165.4 
835  167.4 
910  171.0 


162.8 

162.8 

163.1 

171.6 


144.3 

148.0 

149.6 


11.5 

11.8 

11.8 


7- 15 

8- 15 
8-15 


Valley  City . 

Pearl . 

Crest  of  dam  ,163.2.. 
Below  dam . 


Hardin 
Mouth  . 
Grafton 


208.4  979 

227.5  1,040 

229.6  . 


172.4 
174.1 

174.4 


172.8 

175.0 

175.3 


150.5 

151.8 

152.0 


13.5  9-16 

11.5  9-15 


Illinois  river . 

Mississippi  river.. .. 


Natural  low  water— Henry  pool,  1871  ;Copperas  creek  pool,  1873;below  Copperas  creek,  1879. 

Low  water  with  dams— Henry  pool,  1879;  Henry  to  mouth,  1894. 

Average  widths  prior  to  erection  of  dams— Surveys  of  1867  and  1879;  also  bank  high. 

Distance  and  elevations  by  latest  surveys  (1902-5). 

The  water  area  of  the  river  on  the  recent  maps  average  one -fifth (1,056  feet)miles  in  width. 

The  accompanying  table  gives  the  length  of  characteristic  reaches, 
low  water  widths  and  the  bank  height  prior  to  the  erection  of  the  dams, 
and  the  low  water  elevation  before  and  after  the  building  of  the  dams 
and  the  high  water  elevation  of  1904.  The  channel  depth  and  cross 
sections  are  omitted,  as  the  normal  low  water  plane  of  reference  has  been 
changed  by  the  pool  level  formed  by  the  dams. 

An  inspection  of  the  channel  profiles  of  the  recent  surveys  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  the  old  low  water,  shows  marked  changes  in  the  bed  of  the 
Henry  and  Copperas  creek  pools,  the  bars  in  some  cases  having  risen 
above  the  low  water  plane  prior  to  the  erection  of  the  dams.  This  would 
indicate  that  the  tributaries  have  filled  in  their  beds  across  the  bottoms 
and  are  now  dumping  their  loads  in  the  river  bed,  and  similar  results 
are  to  be  expected  in  due  season  in  the  LaGrange  and  Kampsville  pools. 
In  other  words,  the  effect  of  the  slack  water  improvements,  so-called, 
is  to  raise  the  horizon  of  the  river  bed  and  eventuallv  the  river  itself  with 
respect  to  the  bottom  lands. 


29 


The  Illinois  River  Bottoms. 


County. 

Distance  from  Utica 

bridge— Miles.. _ 

Water  Illinois  River 

— Acres.  _ _ 

» 

Area  ponds,  etc— 

Acres . 

Total— Acres . 

Land  under  II.  W., 
1904— Acres . 

Total  land  and  water 
under  H .  W.  of  1904 
—Acres . 

Approximate  from 
H.  W.  of  1904  to  15 
feet  above— Acres. 

LaSalle  . 

9.3 

606.8 

201.0 

807.8 

4,910.8 

5,718.6 

1,195 

Bureau . 

23.7 

652.5 

1,231.5 

1,884.0 

8, 071.9 

9, 955.9 

833 

Putnam . 

34.1 

2,214.0 

5,776.0 

7,990.0 

10,519.1 

18,509.1 

1,499 

Marshall . 

48.5 

1,444.8 

1,585.4 

3,030.2 

10,080.3 

13,110.5 

9,063 

Woodford . 

61.8 

2,969.6 

744.5 

3,714.1 

8,224.1 

11,938.2 

1,834 

Peoria . 

90.2 

5,105.9 

855.3 

5,961.2 

13, 282.4 

19,243.6 

4,264 

Tazewell . 

96.4 

2. 

120.4 

4,054.0 

6,174.4 

17,761.8 

23.936.2 

7,957 

Fulton . 

120.9 

1. 

372.5 

8,221.9 

9,594.4 

32,618.2 

42,212  6 

7,340 

Mason . 

131.6 

1,026.2 

6,390.7 

7,416.9 

22,048.9 

29,465.8 

4,974 

Schuyler . 

145.7 

1,065.9 

1,924.7 

2,990.6 

17,615.3 

20,605.9 

3, 633 

Cass . 

154.8 

1,156.6 

6.487.1 

7,643  7 

29,931.3 

37,575.0 

11,363 

Brown . 

157.5 

550.2 

937.0 

1,487.2 

7,695.6 

9.182  8 

1,394 

Morgan . 

161.6 

320.2 

548.0 

868.2 

3. 949.6 

4.817.8 

13, 214 

Scott . 

181.6 

1,081.6 

3,311.5 

4,423.1 

28,413.3 

32, 836.4 

12, 204 

Pike . 

190.9 

1,901.9 

1,369.6 

3,271.5 

14,140.4 

17,411.9 

4,592 

Greene . 

210.9 

1,964.8 

3, 879.4 

5,844.2 

34, 845.4 

40,689.6 

5,224 

Jersey . 

227.7 

952  5 

1,120.8 

2,073.3 

10,760.0 

12,833.3 

1,695 

Calhoun . 

227.7 

2,305.0 

736.1 

3,041.1 

10,785.1 

13,826.2 

3, 187 

Total— acres . 

28,811.4 

49,404.5 

78,215.9 

285, 653.5 

363,869.4 

95,465 

Total— square  miles . 

45.02 

77.19 

122.21 

446.33 

568.54 

149.16 

Note— The  area  of  the  islands  is  included  in  the  column  “Land  under  High  Water  of 
1904,”  and  contains  4,134.9  acres. 

The  accompanying  table  has  been  carefully  worked  up  from  the  de¬ 
tailed  charts  of  the  recent  survey.  The  total  area  under  the  high  water 
of  1904  is  568.54  square  miles  (363,869  acres),  of  which  446.33  square 
miles  (285,654  acres)  is  land  lying  above  the  present  low  water  as 
formed  by  the  dams.  The  water  area  is  122.21  square  miles  (78,216 
acres),  of  which  sixty  per  cent  lie  outside  the  main  river  bed.  The 
flood  of  1904  was  perhaps  the  most  uniform  in  character  throughout  the 
Lower  Illinois,  except  that  the  Mississippi  was  at  relatively  lower  stage, 
and  it  was  onlv  exceeded  as  a  whole  by  the  floods  of  1844  and  1858. 

The  approximate  area  of  land  between  the  flood  line  of  1904  and  a 
level  fifteen  feet  above,  is  149.2  square  miles  (95,465  acres.)  Perhaps 
two-thirds  of  this  was  reached  by  the  flood  of  1844.  The  limits  are  in 
most  cases  the  foot  of  bluff  slopes,  giving  a  total  area  of  valley  of  717 
square  miles. 

About  twenty-eight  per  cent  of  the  overflow  area  (1904)  lies  opposite 
the  Henry  and  Copperas  creek  pools  (93  miles)  and  is  dominated  by  the 
Tapper  Illinois,  about  thirty-six  per  cent  opposite  the  LaGrange  pool 
(59  miles)  and  dominated  by  the  Central  basin,  and  thirty-six  per  cent 
below  LaGrange  dam  (76  miles)  and  dominated  bv  the  Central  basin, 
and  perhaps  still  more  by  back  water  from  the  Mississippi.  The  reser¬ 
voir  effects  of  the  bottoms  diminish  flood  heights  down  stream  until  they 
reach  the  minimum  between  Havana  and  Beardstown  and  opposite  the 
great  Sangamon  bottoms,  thence  flood  range  increases  in  the  approach 
to  the  Mississippi. 


30 


The  water  areas  outside  the  river  bed  are  greater  than  they  would 
be  at  normal  low  water  in  the  absence  of  the  dams,  so  the  estimate  is  a 
fair  measure  of  the  lands  subject  to  reclamation  provided  the  low  water 
plane  shall  not  be  raised  an  equivalent  amount  after  the  removal  of 
the  dams. 

The  two  greatest  floods  of  record  (1844  and  1858  not  available)  at 
LaSalle- Peru,  were  identical  in  height,  1892  and  1904,  and  in  relation 
to  the  known  volume  of  1892  at  Morris,  the  volume  is  estimated  at  93,- 
600  second  feet.  The  ordinary  extreme  occurring  once  or  twice  in  a 
decade  may  be  taken  at  60,000  to  67,000  second  feet.  The  normal 
equivalent  for  the  mouth  should  be  166,000  second  feet  or  about  75 
per  cent  more  than  at  LaSalle-Peru. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  except  when  the  Illinois  is  high  in  relation  to  the 
Mississippi,  as  in  1904,  the  flood  volume  at  the  mouth  for  a  general 
flood  is  less  rather  than  greater  than  at  LaSalle-Peru.  The  measured 
flood  of  1904  at  Pearl  reached  a  limit  of  117,000  second  feet  and  was 
estimated  115,000  for  Beardstown,  100,000  for  Havana  and  90,000  for 
Peoria,  the  estimates  to  be  taken  with  caution.  A  consideration  of  the 
storage  effects  of  the  bottoms,  the  prolongation  of  the  rise  and  the 
capacity  of  the  river  channel,  justifies  such  a  condition  of  fact. 

-  •  For  every  day  the  river  is  out  of  banks  at  Morris  (above  ten  feet)  it 
will  be  out  of  banks  (above  twelve  feet)  for  six  or  eight  days  from  Peru 
to  Copperas  creek  and  20  per  cent  longer  at  LaGrange,  the  period  in¬ 
creasing  down  stream  under  the  effects  of  the  Mississippi. 

The  bank-full  capacity  of  the  river  (twelve  feet  above  normal  low 
water)  under  conditions  of  steady  flow,  may  be  taken  at  about  20,000 
second-feet  down  to  Copperas  creek,  increasing  to  30,000  feet  at  La- 
Grange  and  to  40,000  feet  at  Kampsville.  Such  capacities  in  compar¬ 
ison  with  the  proper  flood  volume  indicates  extreme  overflow  and  greatly 
prolonged  durations.  By  reason  of  the  slight  declivity  and  the  lack  of 
co-incidence  in  the  flood  periods  in  the  upper  basin,  the  central  basin 
and  in  the  Mississinni,  the  working  out  of  the  normal  relation  of  volume 
to  stage  is  most  difficult. 

The  flood  of  1892  is  the  greatest  in  volume  known  for  the  Tipper 
Illinois.  Its  height  at  LaSalle-Peru  was  identical  with  that  of  1904, 
dropping  gradually  to  about  two  feet  below  opposite  the  broad  bottoms 
of  the  LaGrange  pool  between  Havana  and  Beardstown,  thence  rising 
above  1904  about  fifty  miles  above  the  mouth  under  the  influence  of 
the  Mississippi.  The  high  water  of  1883  rose  to  extraordinary  heights 
from  ice  gorges  in  the  Upper  Illinois,  but  was  about  a  foot  lower  than 
1904  from  Peru  to  Hennepin,  and  two  feet  from  Henry  to  Peoria,  rising 
to  two  feet  above  opposite  the  central  basin — Sangamon  river  to  Beards¬ 
town — thence  dropping  to  a  foot  below  at  the  mouth.  The  great  flood 
of  1844  was  six  feet  above  1904  in  the  Peoria-Pekin  reach,  dropping  to 
a  limit  of  two  to  2.5  feet  above,  opposite  the  great  bottoms  between 
Havana  and  Beardstown,  thence  gradually  rising  to  8.6  feet  above 
at  the  mouth.  The  flood  of  1883  shows  the  effect  of  conditions  from 
the  central  basin,  and  1844  the  effect  of  the  wide  bottoms  and  of  the 
Mississippi. 


The  large  water  areas  in  the  Illinois  bottoms  feed  the  low  stages  of 
the  river  and  greatly  reduce  the  period  of  low  water.  In  a  period  of 
eleven  years,  the  river  at  Copperas  creek  was  less  than  two  feet  above 
low  water  for  an  average  of  forty-two  days,  and  at  LaGrange  for  sixtv- 
two  days,  and  these  points  may  be  taken  as  a  measure  of  the  upper  and 
lower  halves  of  the  river.  When  the  water  areas  are  drained  out,  a  low 
water  period  ensues,  but  not  in  every  year.  LaSalle  had  a  measured 
discharge  of  633  second-feet  prior  to  1867,  and  lower  estimates  for 
Henry  and  Copperas  creek  have  been  made  for  later  dates.  Measure¬ 
ments  in  the  lower  division,  in  1879  and  1887,  gave  from  1,500  to  1,700 
second-feet,  part  of  which  was  canal  water  from  Lake  Michigan.  A 
standard  of  600  second-feet  for  the  upper  division,  and  of  1,200  feet  for 
the  lower  division  may  be  taken  for  the  minimum  natural  flow. 

jSTo  sufficient  study  has  been  made  of  the  average  run-off  for  the 
Illinois  basin.  Judging  by  the  Upper  Mississippi  on  the  west  and  the 
lakes  basin  on  the  east,  it  may  be  taken  at  three-fourths  second-feet  per 
square  mile,  or  about  half  the  bank-full  capacity  for  the  several  divisions 
of  the  stream.  The  minimum  flow  is  only  six  per  cent  of  this  average, 
which  is  certainly  very  remarkable.  This  indicates  that  the  basin  has 
a  tight  or  impermeable  sub-soil,  and  that  the  waters  reach  the  drainage 
lines  substantially  by  surface  flow.  When  the  surface  soil  is  dried  out 
and  ponds  and  marshes  exhausted,  extreme  low  water  occurs. 

Doubts  might  be  raised  as  to  the  ability  of  the  Lower  Illinois,  with  its 
peculiar  regimen,  to  maintain  indefinitely  the  integrity  of  its  channel 
under  the  increasing  loads  of  detritus  due  to  the  cultivation  of  lands  and 
reclamation  of  marshes.  Whatever  opinion  may  be  in  this  regard,  there 
can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  injurious  tendencies  of  the  four  dams,  the  two 
State  dams  at  Henry  and  Copperas  Creek,  and  the  two  United  States 
dams  at  LaGrange  and  Kampsville.  The  two  State  works  have  been  in 
operation  for  over  thirty  years,  and  the  channel  capacity  in  the  pools  is 
certainlv  diminishing,  results  that  will  show  up  in  the  other  two  pools 
in  due  season.  An  open  river  with  an  augmented  flow  within  the  banks 
will  certainly  reverse  present  tendencies  in  a  desirable  direction. 

The  Illinois  river  drains  a  basin  rich  in  surface  soils  and  luxuriant 
with  verdure  in  the  growing  season.  Its  waters  are  naturally  highly 
charged  with  organic  matter,  well  fertilized  in  fact,  and  thus  are  nur¬ 
tured  the  many  forms  of  life  which  constitute  fish  food.  The  Illinois 
river  was  in  nature  well  stocked  with  fish,  but  in  the  long  and  hard 
winters  the  organic  matters  exhausted  the  oxygen  beneath  the  ice  cover, 
and  the  fish  asphyxiated.  In  low  water  periods  the  river  was  ill  suited 
to  receive  any  considerable  addition  to  its  organic  load.  The  waters 
of  Lake  Michigan  are  charged  to  the  limit  with  oxygen,  and  can  there¬ 
fore  receive  a  much  larger  load  of  organic  matter  than  river  waters  from 
fertile  basins.  If  the  dilution  is  sufficient  to  maintain  a  surplus  of 
oxygen  at  the  outset  the  increment  of  flow  has  become  purer,  chemically 
and  biologically,  by  the  time  it  reaches  the  Lower  Illinois,  than  any 
of  its  natural  tributaries.  The  augumented  volume  at  low  water  and 
under  the  ice,  is  a  radical  change  in  condition  for  the  better. 


32 


The  fish  crop  of  the  Lower  Illinois  river  has  more  than  doubled  since 
1889,  and  now  amounts  to  over  22,000,000  pounds,  with  a  value  of  more 
than  three-quarters  of  a  million  dollars  on  the  banks  (doubled  to  con¬ 
sumers.)  This  amounts  to  $10.00  per  acre  for  all  the  lands  under  water 
in  the  vallev,  and  is  80  per  cent  of  the  value  per  acre  of  farm  crops  in 
Illinois.  This  crop  will  no  doubt  increase  further  with  improved  water 
conditions?  It  may  not  be  too  much  to  say  that  the  most  economic  ex¬ 
ample  of  sewage  disposal  in  the  world  is  that  by  means  of  the  sanitary 
and  ship  canal  of  Chicago,  augmenting  the  water  volume  and  fertilizing 
the  fish  reserves  of  the  Illinois  valley. 

Aside  from  their  value  for  reclamation  and  cultivation,  the  bottom 
lands  of  the  Illinois  have  an  intrinsic  value  as  a  forest  reserve,  the  low 
land  timber  being  in  demand  for  many  uses.  The  reclamation  of  many 
areas  has  been  undertaken  by  levies  along  river  front  and  up  tributaries 
to  the  bluffs,  and  by  keeping  down  the  interior  water  during  high 
stages  by  means  of  pumping  works.  Every  year  shows  an  increased  use 
of  the  bottom  lands,  and  the  opinion  of  Captain  Howard  Stansburv  in 
1838  may  be  embalmed  as  a  literary  curiosity  along  with  Proctor  Knott’s 
speech  on  Duluth. 


10.  The  Tributary  Division. 

Within  this  division  the  great  tributaries  unite — the  Missouri,  the 
Upper  Mississippi  and  the  Illinois — to  form  the  Middle  Mississippi. 
The  Missouri  coming  remotely  from  the  Pocky  Mountains,  has  a  basin 
area  of  530,810  square  miles.  The  portion  east  of  the  semi-arid  region 
has  about  the  same  area  as  the  Upper  Mississippi,  including  the  Illinois, 
but  not  over  20  per  cent  of  -this  portion  is  equal  in  water  yield.  The 
Upper  Mississippi  has  an  area  of  143,660  square  miles,  and  the  Illinois 
27,910,  a  total  of  171,570  square  miles  at  the  junction  with  the  Mis¬ 
souri.  The  Middle  Mississippi  drains  18,010  square  miles,  and  the  total 
above  Cairo  is  720,390  square  miles. 

The  Missouri,  like  all  streams  from  semi-arid  regions,  is  subject  at 
rare  intervals  to  extraordinary  floods,  double  in  volume  those  from  the 
Upper  Mississippi,  -but  its  low  water  volume  is  less,  and  may  be  taken 
at  26,000  second-feet  as  compared  to  30,000  second-feet  from  the  Upper 
Mississippi,  including  the  Illinois.  The  total  is  56,000  second-feet, 
which  is  taken  as  standard  low  water  at  St.  Louis,  and  is  equivalent  to 
four  feet  on  the  gauge.  Extreme  low  waters  of  40,000  second  feet,  and 
even  35,000,  have  occurred  at  St.  Louis,  but  these  minimums  are  abnor¬ 
mal  and  usually  the  result  of  ice  effects.  The  recent  report  takes  the 
low  water  volume  of  the  Tapper  Mississippi  at  25,000  second  feet,  and  the 
same  for  the  Missouri,  a  total  of  50,000  feet. 

The  distance  from  Grafton,  2.1  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois 
river,  to  the  Eads  bridge  at  St.  Louis,  may  be  taken  at  forty  miles,  and 
the  declivity  at  very  low  water  at  twenty-four  feet. 


33 


The  distance  and  falls  are  distributed  as  follows : 


Locality. 

Distance  in 
miles. 

Fall  in  Feet. 

Grafton . 

0.0 

0.0 

Alton  (dam  below  railway  bridge)  . 

15.5 

8.4 

Missouri  river  (mouth  of) . 

7.5 

6.2 

Merchants’  bridge . 

14.0 

9.3 

St.  Louis  (EadshSridge) . 

3.0 

0.1 

Total . 

40.0 

24.0 

Beginning  three  miles  below  Alton,  the  slope  is  pronounced  for  three 
miles ;  and  again,  in  the  seven  miles  above  the  Merchants’  Bridge,  exceed¬ 
ing  a  foot  per  mile. .  The  river  is  fixed  and  deep  opposite  St.  Louis, 
and  the  pool  level  of  the  recent  report  is  taken  at  199  feet  below  Chicago 
datum.  The  river  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri  is  un- 
stable,  and  its  regimen  very  complex,  but  it  need  not  be  discussed  at 
this  time,  in  view  of  the  proposed  canal  some  eighteen  miles  long  from 
below  the  Alton  railway  bridge  to  St.  Louis  harbor  at  a  point  0.85  miles 
above  the  Merchants’  Bridge. 

The  Grafton- Alton  reach,  15.5  miles  long,  averages  3,5^  feet  in  width, 
with  a  bank  height  of  16.5  feet,  and  five  feet  above  this  level  overflow 
becomes  widespread.  The  river  averages  thirty-seven  days  out  of  bank. 
The  high  water  of  1903  at  Grafton  w7as  27.6  feet  above  lowr  water  as 
used  in  the  report,  or  4.5  feet  above  that  of  1904  (height  rapidly  dimin¬ 
ished  up  the  Illinois)  and  vras  measured  at  365,573  second-feet.  This 
does  not  represent  the  extreme  volume  from  the  Upper  Mississippi,  but 
the  height  reached  wras  extraordinary  and  due  in  part  to  the  great  high 
v'ater  in  the  Missouri.  The  height  given  for  Alton  wms  33.1  feet,  and 
above  the  Merchants’  Bridge  at  41.0  feet.  It  will  be  noted  that  the  abso¬ 
lute  elevation  of  the  flood  at  St.  Louis  was  seventeen  feet  above  low7  w7ater 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois,  and  within  eleven  feet  of  the  original  low 
wrater  plane  at  Utica. 

The  natural  bar  depths  at  low7  water  wrere  about  thirty  inches,  and 
the  adopted  project  for  the  Upper  Mississippi  contemplates  a  minimum 
of  six  feet.  The  proposed  dam  at  Alton  makes  much  greater  depth 
practicable. 

The  volume  equivalent  to  one  foot  on  the  guage  at  and  near  low  water 
for  Grafton  is  8,213  second-feet,  and  at  St.  Louis  10,000  second-feet. 
An  increment  of  14,000  second-feet  at  1owt  water  is  equivalent  to  a  stage 
of  1.7  feet  at  Grafton  and  1.4  feet  at  St.  Louis. 

The  Upper  Mississippi  hugs  the  bluff  line  to  Alton,  and  the  contribu¬ 
tion  of  detritus  from  the  Illinois  has  been  insufficient  to  sw’erve  it  from 
its  course.  The  Missouri  runs  near  the  southern  bluff,  touching  it  oc¬ 
casionally.  Between  the  turn  rivers,  from  St.  Charles  to  Alton,  is  a 
very  extensive  bottom,  built  up  largely  by  deposits  from  the  Missouri, 
and  these  are  the  richest  farming  lands  in  Missouri. 


— 3  L  G 


34 


11.  The  Middle  Mississippi. 

The  Middle  Mississippi  extends  from  the  Eads  Bridge  at  SI.  Louis 
186  miles  to  Cairo  Point,  where  it  joins  with  the  Ohio  (205,750  square 
miles)  to  form  the  Lower  Mississippi.  The  total  descent  at  low  water 
is  107.7  feet,  an  average  of  0.58  feet  per  mile.  The  valley  is  of  moderate 
width,  bold  and  deeply  cut,  and  practically  terminates  at  Cape  Girar-  • 
deau,  fifty-one  miles  by  river  above  Cairo,  and  the  true  head  of  the  allu¬ 
vial  valley  or  delta  region.  Seven  miles  below  Cape  Girardeau  the  river 
passes  for  seven  miles  through  a  rock  gorge  or  canon  between  Gray’s 
Point  and  Commerce,  a  rock-bound  river  bed,  similar  to  the  pass  at  the 
DesMoines  Eapids  and  above  Eock  Island,  on  the  Upper  Mississippi, 
and  all  rock  disappears  at  thirty-seven  miles  above  Cairo.  The  most 
considerable  tributaries  are  the  Kaskaskia  and  the  Big  Muddy,  both  from 
Illinois,  but  the  drainage  is  small;  the  river,  in  fact,  being  an  interme¬ 
diate  link  between  the  northern  basin  of  the  Missouri  and  Upper  Missis¬ 
sippi  and  that  of  the  Ohio.  The  river  bed  is  unstable  and  inherits  its 
character  from  the  Missouri.  The  slope  is  high  and  unevenly  distributed 
and  rock  intrudes  into  the  channel  in  localities.  The  following  table 
exhibits  distances  and  grades: 


St.  Louis  to  Cairo — Distances  and  Elevations. 


Locality. 

Distance- 

miles. 

Below  Chica¬ 
go  datum. 

Above 
sea  level. 

Remarks. 

Eads  bridge . 

0.0 

195.9 

383.0 

4  feet  on  gauge . 

Meramec  river . 

20.0 

*205 . 0 

373.9 

Approximate . 

Rush  Tower . . . 

39  0 

212.8 

366.1 

White  Sand  depot . 

54.0 

222.8 

356  1 

Chester . . . 

75.0 

236.7 

342.2 

Grand  Tower . 

105.5 

*255.0 

323.9 

Approximate ..... 

Bainbridge  Landing . 

124.0 

263.8 

315.1 

Grays  Point . 

142.0 

272.8 

306.1 

Commerce . 

149.0 

*278.0 

300.9 

Approximate 

Cairo  Point . 

186.0 

303.6 

275.3 

Ohio  river . 

^Reduced  from  charts  of  Mississippi  River  Commission.  Stage  is  equivalent  to  4  feet  on 
St.  Louis  gauge,  and  corresponds  to  56,000  second-feet. 


The  normal  flood  volume  is  taken  at  550,000  second-feet,  but  at  long 
intervals  floods  of  750,000  to  1,000,000  feet  occur.  Standard  low  water 
is  taken  at  56,000  second-feet  and  at  four  feet  on  the  St.  Louis  gauge, 
which  fairly  indicates  the  regimen  down  to  Grays  Point,  thence  to  Cairo 
the  river  is  dominated  by  back  water  from  the  Lower  Mississippi. 

The  natural  low  water  depth  on  bars  may  be  as  little  as  four  feet, 
and  even  less  in  localities.  A  project  for  regularization  had  been  adopted 
on  the  basis  of  eight  feet  minimum  depth,  and  work  had  extended  from 
St.  Louis  to  the  vicinity  of  St.  Cenevieve,  but  appropriations  have  been 
discontinued. 

The  minimum  depths  do  not  represent  the  available  boating  condi¬ 
tions,  but  rather  the  season  when  traffic  is  discontinued  except  by  the 
smaller  craft.  A  consideration  of  the  available  stages  is  therefore  im¬ 
portant. 


Mr.  John  A.  Ockerson,  member  of  the  Mississippi  River  Commission, 
and  a  Commissioner  of  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition,  prepared  a 
chart  in  the  interest  of  direct  shipment  of  foreign  exhibits  to  St.  Louis, 
showing  the  navigable  condition  of  the  Mississippi  river  for  the  four 
months,  March,  April,  May  and  June,  for  the  period  of  twelve  years, 
1892-1903,  inclusive,  during  which  occurred  the  extraordinary  drought 
period  that  culminated  in  1895.  This  chart  recognizes  the  well  known 
phenomena  of  bar  rise  in  broad  reaches,  which  varies  in  different  years 
through  a  range  of  5.5  feet.  The  highest  bar  level  is  taken  for  each 
four  months  period,  which  errs  toward  conservatism,  as  bar  levels  change 
from  time  to  time. 

As  July  is  equally  favorable  with  June  and  August  with  March,  these 
two  months  are  added  to  complete  the  regular  high  water  season. 


Navigable  Depth  of  Less  than  Twelve  Feet,  1S92-1903 — Twelve  Years. 


Month. 

Number  of 
days. 

Average 
per  year. 

March . . 

180 

15 

April . 

144 

12 

May . 

114 

9  5 

June . 

84 

7.0 

7.0  est 

July  . 

84 

August . . . 

180 

15.0  est 

Yearly  average . . 

Period  of  more  than  12  feet . 

Estimate  by  inspection  for  remainder  of  year . 

65 . 5 

118.5  days 

31 . 5  days 

Probable  average  time  of  12  feet  of  water .  150.0  days 


LTnder  date  of  November  8,  1904,  Mr.  Ockerson  savs:  “From  St.  Louis 
to  Cairo  depths  of  from  eight  to  ten  feet  may  be  counted  on  for  at  least 
half  of  the  year  on  the  average.  These  latter  conditions  grow  naturally 
better  as  the  improvement  work  progresses.” 

The  standard  steamboat  and  barge,  formerly  in  the  St.  Louis  trade, 
carried  from  nine  to  eleven  feet,  and  the  two  great  steamboats,  the  Jim 
Howard  and  the  Grand  Republic,  carried  twelve  to  fourteen  feet.  Such 
depth  continued  long  enough  to  be  commercially  availed  of. 

Any  improvement  of  the  stream  presumes  fixed  banks  and  a  uniform 
width  or  “regularization,”  and  the  adopted  project  was  to  produce  eight 
feet  at  standard  low  water.  When  the  stream  dissipates  in  broad  reaches 
the  phenomena  of  bar  rise  and  variable  channels  are  pronounced.  The 
chief  purpose  of  regularization  is  to  restrict  these  variations  within 
moderate  limits  and  below  a  definite  horizon.  Under  such  conditions  the 
inferences  from  the  stages  of  water  are  important.  The  following  table 
gives  the  duration  of  stages  of  three,  four  and  five  feet  above  standard 
low  water : 


36 


Duration  of  Stages  of  Water  at  St.  Louis;  Days — 1870-89. 


(Above  standard  low  water,  or  fonr  feet  on  gange.) 


3  feet. 

4  feet. 

5  feet. 

January  . 

22.5 

20  5 

15.5 

February . 

23.3 

20  2 

17  4 

March . 

29  9 

28.6 

26  8 

April . 

30.0 

30  0 

30  0 

May . 

31.0 

31  0 

30  5 

June . 

30.0 

30.0 

30  0 

July . 

31.0 

31  0 

30.5 

August . 

29.1 

26.1 

23.5 

September . 

22.8 

19.2 

14.8 

October . 

21.7 

17.2 

13.4 

November . 

19.6 

17.7 

14.2 

December . 

13.1 

10.5  * 

8.4 

Total . 

304 

282 

255 

Variation . 

206  to  365 

180  to  356 

156  to  348 

Continuous . 

Average  . 

178 

Mar.  2- Aug.  29 

174 

Mar.  3- Aug.  26 

170 

Mar.  5-Aug.  23 

The  five-foot  stage  was  continuous  throughout  the  twenty  years  for  the 
four  months  of  April,  May,  June  and  July,  except  in  1871  and  1889,  and 
was  short  nine  years  each  in  March  and  August  and  continued  for  five 
years  in  September.  The  four-foot  stage  was  short  seven  years  each  in 
March  and  August  and  continued  for  eight  years  in  September.  The 
three-foot  stage  was  short  five  years  in  March  and  August  and  continued 
for  eleven  years  in  September. 

If  the  bar  horizon  is  restricted  to  a  depth  of  eight  feet  below  standard 
low  water,  then  eleven  feet  will  prevail  for  304  days  of  the  average  year; 
twelve  feet  for  282  days  and  thirteen  feet  for  255  days. 

Whatever  may  be  the  effect  of  regularization,  it  is  a  condition  prece¬ 
dent  to  any  treatment,  and  it  cannot  develop  its  full  utility  until  the  high 
water  areas  are  so  built  up  as  to  make  high  and  low  water  follow  substan¬ 
tially  the  same  track.  It  is  now  recognized  that  the  results  of  such  treat¬ 
ment  are  limited  without  producing  material  changes  in  slope  and  a 
lowering  of  the  low  water  plane.  The  depth  obtainable  by  regularization 
may  be  increased  in  three  wavs : 

1.  By  subdividing  the  pools  by  means  of  ground  sills,  thus  dividing  bar 
slopes  and  reducing  the  bar  horizon. 

2.  By  taking  out  the  excess  of  slope  by  an  occasional  lock  and  dam,  leav¬ 
ing  only  such  fall  as  is  required  for  an  economical  channel. 

3.  By  increasing  the  low  water  volume,  and  this  method  will  be  considered 
further. 

We  may  adde  50  per  cent  to  the  standard  low  water  volume  of  the 
Middle  Mississippi,  25  per  cent  or  14,000  second-feet  through  the  works 
already  provided  at  Chicago  and  a  second  14,000  feet  by  means  of  reser¬ 
voirs  at  headwaters.  The  equivalent  for  one  foot  at  and  near  low  water 
is  10,000  second-feet,  and  the  effect  of  28,000  second-feet  will  be  2.8 
feet  if  it  represents  solely  increase  in  stage.  With  eight  feet  by  regular¬ 
ization,  this  means  10.8  feet  minimum,  13.8  feet  for  304  days,  14.8  for 
282  days  and  15.8  for  255  days. 


37 


The  probable  effect  will  be  to  lower  the  bar  horizon  rather  than  raise 
the  stage,  and  this  will  be  proportionate  to  the  added  volume,  or  50  per 
cent  (four  feet)  to  the  eight  feet  obtained  by  regularization.  This 
means  12  feet  minimum,  15  feet  for  304  days,  1G  feet  for  282  days  and 
17  feet  for  255  days.  The  effect  of  25  per  cent,  or  the  14,000  second- 
feet  from  Chicago,  will  be  two  feet  of  added  depth,  or  10  feet  minimum, 
13  feet  for  304  days,  14  feet  for  282  days  and  15  feet  for  255  days. 

It  is  a  truism  that  the  more  uniform  the  volume  the  more  regular  is 
the  channel.  Streams  that  have  great  variation  in  volume  have  a  small 
low  w^ater  flow  in  a  great  stream  bed  fashioned  for  high  water  conditions. 
Normal  flood  is  ten  times  normal  low  water  in  the  Middle  Mississippi. 
Adding  50  per  cent  to  low  water  reduces  this  ratio  to  7  1-3,  which  in 
itself  is  a  great  betterment  in  conditions. 

12.  The  Lower  Mississippi. 

The  Lower  Mississippi  extends  through  an  alluvial  plain  of  over  30,- 
000  square  miles,  with  an  occasional  bluff  contact  on  the  east,  from  the 
junction  with  the  Ohio  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Its  length  is  1,072  miles, 
or  764  miles  to  Eed  river,  which  is  virtually  at  the  head  of  deep  water. 
The  declivity  from  standard  low  water  at  Cairo  is  275.3  feet,  and  this 
may  be  taken  to  Eed  river,  below  which  the  low  water  slope  is  nominal. 
The  normal  width  is  about  3,300  feet  above  Eed  river,  except  where  the 
river  is  spread  out,  but  it  narrows  and  deepens  on  the  low  grades  below 
Eed  river. 

The  basin  at  Cairo  is  926,140  square  miles.  It  adds  the  Arkansas, 
200,820  square  miles;  and  the  Eed,  99,200  square  miles;  and  the  local 
drainage  is  33,220  square  miles,  a  total  of  333,240  square  miles,  a  part 
of  which  is  from  the  semi-arid  region.  The  grand  total  is  1,259,380 
square  miles. 

The'  normal  flood  volume  at  Cairo  is  1,100,000  second-feet,  but  this 
may  occasionally  reach  2,000,000  feet.  Owing  to  wide  overflows  into 
the  St.  Francis  and  the  Yazoo  and  the  Tensas  basins,  these  floods  were 
retarded  and  prolonged  and  reduced  in  volume,  and  reduced  also  by  out¬ 
lets  below  Eed  river,  so  that  the  volume  passing  New  Orleans  (107  miles 
from  the  gulf)  in  extreme  flood  was  greatly  reduced  below  that  at  Cairo. 
The  policy  of  reclamation  now  under  way  restrains  flood  waters  to  the 
river  channel  and  is  a  material  change  in  natural  conditions. 

The  river  course  exceeds  the  direct  distance  by  over  60  per  cent,  or 
there  is  a  great  development  in  loops  and  bends,  especially  between 
Memphis  and  Eed  river,  where  the  development  is  about  90  per  cent. 
The  aggregate  length  of  the  cut-offs  in  this  portion  of  the  river  have 
been  about  one-third  during  the  historic  period,  and  this  appears  to  have 
been  recovered,  or  the  shortening  was  but  temporary. 

The  standard  low  water  volume  for  the  river  from  Cairo  to  the  Arkan¬ 
sas  is  taken  at  121,000  second-feet,  and  from  Arkansas  river  to  Eed  river 
at  132,000  second  feet.  The  equivalent  of  one  foot  on  the  gauge  at  and 
near  low  water  varies  from  18,000  to  20,000  second  feet. 

Before  works  wTere  undertaken  fortv-three  localities  were  recognized 
below  Cairo  where  depths  were  liable  to  be  less  than  ten  feet,  not  in 


t 


38 


every  year  nor  all  in  any  one  year.  Of  these,  twenty-two  places  were 
liable  to  depths  less  than  seven  feet;  and  of  these  again,  thirteen  to 
depths  less  than  five  feet.  The  project  for  a  minimum  of  ten  feet  pro- 
ceeded  on  the  theory  that  these  localities  conld  be  corrected  without  dis¬ 
turbing  the  general  regimen  of  the  river,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the 
irregularities  of  profile  were  only  at  low  water,  while  the  high  water 
line  was  normal,  so  the  dynamic  situation  at  high  water  need  not  be  dis¬ 
turbed.  Some  reaches  were  attempted  with  beneficial  results,  but  the 
works  have  not  continued. 

Meantime  large  appropriations  have  been  made  in  cooperation  with 
the  states  for  the  development  of  a  levee  system  which  will  confine  all 
the  water  to  the  river  channel.  The  dynamic  effect  is  yet  to  be  valued, 
but  whatever  it  may  be,  the  reclamation  of  lands  is  to  be  conceded  and 
the  improvement  is  subject  thereto  as  a  condition  precedent.  The  re¬ 
clamation  has  proceeded  so  far  that  the  levee  advocates  are  coming  to 
recognize  the  necessity  of  holding  the  eroding  banks  as  a  question  of 
levee  maintenance,  and  the  policy  of  fixation  of  river  course  will  be  the 
necessary  sequel. 

As  to  the  available  depths  in  the  natural  river,  Mr.  Ockerson  may  be 
again  quoted :  “For  an  average  of  seven  or  more  months  of  each  year 
a  depth  of  at  least  twelve  feet  can  be  relied  upon  from  Cairo  down. 
During  the  balance  of  the  season  dredges  will  maintain  depths  of  eight 
feet  or  more.” 

Hydraulic  dredges  for  making  low  water  channels  across  the  bars  have 
come  into  practice  within  the  last  twelve  years,  and  experience  has  fully 
demonstrated  their  efficacy.  It  is  found  that  these  cuts  often  lead  the 
high  water  course  and  produce  changes  that  persist  and  are  permanently 
beneficial,  so  that  they  become  useful  as  an  auxiliary  in  a  permanent  im¬ 
provement  while  serving  their  primary  purpose  for  channel  maintenance. 

The  following  table  gives  the  duration  of  stages  above  standard  low 
water : 


Item. 

5  feet. 

8  feet. 

10  feet. 

Total  days . 

283 

243 

218 

Days  continuous . 

268 

215 

180 

Dates  between  (continuous) . 

Dec.  13  to  Sept  6 

Jan.  5  to  Aug.  7 

Jan.  20to  July  18 

Assuming  that  special  treatment  at  localities  restricts  the  bar  horizon 
at  or  below  a  depth  of  ten  feet  at  standard  low  water,  then  the  following 
depths  will  be  available :  Fifteen  feet  for  a  total  of  283  days,  18  feet 
for  243  days  and  20  feet  for  218  days. 

The  increment  of  28,000  second-feet  (23  per  cent)  from  the  lakes 
and  from  the  Upper  Mississippi  will  give  an  additional  depth  of  1.5 
to  2.3  feet,  according  as  the  effect  is  due  to  stage  or  lowering  of  the  bar 
horizon.  One-half  of  these  results  will  be  due  to  an  increment  of  14,000 
second-feet  from  the  lakes. 

From  the  foregoing  it  is  safe  to  say  that  with  an  increment  to  low 
water  and  the  aid  of  hydraulic  dredging  a  navigable  depth  of  fourteen 
feet  can  be  maintained  throughout  the  average  year,  and  that  greater 


39 


depths  will  be  available  for  a  part  of  each  season.  It  is  safe  to  say  fur¬ 
ther  that  with  the  correction  of  the  worst  localities,  these  greater  depths 
will  give  a  navigable  season  longer  than  now  exists  in  the  great  lakes. 


13.  Resume. 

The  following  table  gives  elevations  and  distances,  Lake  Michigan  to 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico : 


Division. 

Locality. 

Distance- 

miles. 

Elevation— Feet. 

Below  Chicago 
datum. 

Above 
sea  level. 

The  Chicago  Divide, 

• 

(41.3  miles) . 

Lake  Michigan . 

0  0 

0  0 

578  91 

End  of  Canal . 

36.05 

6.6 

572.3 

Lake  Joliet . 

41.3 

76.5 

502.4 

The  Upper  Illinois, 

(56,2  miles) . 

Ottawa . 

86  4 

132  2 

446  7 

Utica  Bridge . 

97.5 

147.0 

43L9 

The  Lower  Illinois, 

(227.5  miles) . 

Peoria . 

164  8 

151  2 

427  7 

Beardstown  . 

238.5 

180.0 

418.9 

Grafton . 

327.0 

175.0 

403.9 

The  Tributary  Division, 

(42.1  miles) . 

Alton . 

342.5 

189  5 

389  4 

St.  Louis . 

367.0 

195.9 

383.0 

The  Middle  Mississipi, 

(186  miles) . 

Grays  Point . 

509  0 

272  8 

306  1 

Cairo  Point . 

553.0 

303.6 

275.3 

The  Lower  Mississipi, 

(1072  miles) . 

Memphis . 

783.0 

Arkansas  river . 

995.0 

* 

Red  river . 

1,217.0 

0 

New  Orleans . 

1,518.0 

Gulf  of  Mexico . 

1,' 625.0 

578.91 

0.0 

Distance  shortened  by  Canal— Alton  to  St.  Louis— 2.5  miles. 


With  the  Middle  Mississippi  regularized  and  an  increment  of  14,000 
second-feet  to  the  low  water  volume,  it  will  be  feasible  to  carry  a  depth 
of  fourteen  feet  from  St.  Louis  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  for  a  period  longer 
than  the  period  of  navigation  about  the  great  lakes,  and  hydraulic  dredg¬ 
ing  can  maintain  the  depths  for  the  remainder  of  the  year.  By  increas¬ 
ing  the  water  supply  and  by  correcting  the  worst  localities  on  the  Lower 
Mississippi,  the  fourteen  foot  period,  without  dredging,  can  be  materially 
prolonged  and  eighteen  feet  made  available  for  more  than  half  the  year. 
It  is  sufficient  at  this  time  to  indicate  the  possibilities,  without  entering 
into  an  exhaustive  discussion  of  the  Middle  and  Lower  Mississippi,  in 
order  that  the  waterway  between  Lake  Michigan  and  the  Middle  Missis¬ 
sippi  river  may  be  projected  on  a  proper  basis  for  future  development. 

The  route  from  Chicago  to  St.  Louis  may  be  made  of  any  desired 
capacity,  being  solely  a  matter  of  water  supply  and  the  resources  that 
shall  be  made  available. 


40 


Part  III.  The  Deep  Waterway. 

(Chicago-St.  Louis.) 


14.  The  Federal  Project. 

The  Eiver  and  Harbor  Act,  approved  June  13,  1902,  appropriated  the 
sum  of  $200,000.00  “for  making  such  surveys,  examinations  and  in¬ 
vestigations  as  may  be  required  to  determine  the  feasibility  of  and  pre¬ 
pare  and  report  plans  and  estimate  of  cost  of  a  navigable  waterway 
fourteen  feet  in  depth  from  Lockport,  Ill.  *  *  *  St.  Louis,  Mo.,” 

the  Missississippi  Eiver  Commission  to  direct  the  expenditure  of  $25,- 
000.00  and  report  upon  the  division  from  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  river 
to  St.  Louis,  and  a  board  of  three  army  engineers  to  direct  the  expendi¬ 
ture  of  the  balance  and  report  upon  the  division  from  Lockport  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Illinois.  The  report  of  the  Mississippi  Eiver  Commission 
was  submitted  February  28,  1905,  and  of  the  Board  of  Engineers,  Aug¬ 
ust  25,  1905,  Colonel  O.  H.  Ernst  (now  Brigadier  General  retired) 
chairman  in  each  case. 

An  elaborate  survey,  covering  the  bottom  lands  within  the  bluffs,  was 
made  of  the  Lower  Illinois  river.  Former  surveys  were  built  upon  for 
the  Upper  Illinois  and  Desplaines  rivers.  The  charts  of  the  Mississippi 
Eiver  Commission  were  availed  of  below  the  Illinois  and  only  special 
examinations  were  made.  A  line  of  triangulation  and  precise  levels 
were  carried  througout  and  many  flow  measurements  were  made.  The 
borings  were  very  complete.  All  accessible  gauge  records,  flood  heights 
and  flow  measurements  were  completed  and  constitute  a  valuable  com¬ 
pendium  for  reference. 

The  project  is  for  a  depth  of  fourteen  feet,  with  a  flow  of  10,000 
second-feet  from  Lake  Michigan.  The  estimate  is : 


Lockport  to  mouth  of  the  Illinois  . $23,543,582  00 

Mouth  of  Illinois  to  St.  Louis  . ' .  6,553,880  00 

Lockport  to  St.  Louis  . , . $30,097,462  00 


The  locks  estimated  are  600  feet  long  by  eighty  feet  wide  (641  feet 
long  between  hollow  quoins.)  Locks  for  a  depth  of  twenty  feet  between 
Lockport  and  Utica  are  estimated  at  $1,376,000.00  additional. 

The  following  table  gives  the  elements  of  the  project  for  the  Des¬ 
plaines  and  Upper  Illinois  between  the  end  of  the  sanitary  and  ship 
canal  at  Lockport  and  the  Lower  Illinois  river  at  Utica. 


41 


Elements  of  the  Project — Lockport  to  TJtica. 


Location. 

* 

Dist¬ 

ance 

Miles. 

Surface  of  Water  of 
Project  Below 
Chicago  Datum. 

Locks— 

Elevation. 

River. 

Canal. 

No. 

Upper 

Miter 

Sill. 

Lower 

Miter 

Sill. 

Lift. 

Drainage  canal  control- 
ing  works  ifl  . . . 

0 

2.09 

3.00 

42.00 

42.00 

|52.00 

52.00 

72.00 

72.00 

82.00 

82.00 

93.00 

1 

17 

56 

39 

Regining  of  project.. 

Dam  No.  1,  Joliet . 

4.69 

2 

56 

66 

10 

Head  Lake  Joliet . 

7.79 

3 

66 

86 

20 

Foot  of  Treats  Island — 

1§  miles  below  Kankakee 
river . 

13.99 

4 

86 

96 

10 

21.49 

5 

*  96 

107 

11 

Marseilles . 

22.36 

27.21 

33.48 

38.52 

41.40 

45.74 

48.78 

92.7 
93.5 

94.8 
95. 3 
95.7 

96.00 

96.00 

115.00 

115.00 

123.00 

123.00 

136.00 

6 

7 

110 

110 

100 

129 

G’rd 

19 

Middle  of  Bell’s  Island.. 

Head  of  Bull’s  Island  . .. 

Lover’s  Leap . 

52.00 

8a 

129 

137 

8 

62.03 

63.53 

10a 

137 

150 

13 

Utica . 

The  width  of  the  canal  is  160  feet  on  the  bottom. 

The  width  of  the  channel  is  200  feet  on  the  bottom,  with  side  slopes  of  3  to  1. 

The  size  of  the  locks  are  600  feet  long  by  80  feet  wide. 

fThe  zero  of  distance  is  34.05  miles  from  Lake  Michigan  at  mouth  of  Chicago  river. 

The  following  table  gives  the  elements  of  the  project  for  the  Lower 
Illinois  and  between  Grafton  and  St.  Louis.  A  column  is  added  to 
show  the  proposed  surface  of  the  water  in  the  fourteen  foot  channel 
above  original  low  water: 

Elements  of  the  Project — Utica  to  St.  Louis. 


Location. 

Distance 

Miles. 

Low  Water  Surface 
of  Project. 

R.  Above 

(  R  ,  .  p  n  x  Standard 

(Below  C.D.).  Low  water. 

Remarks. 

Utica . 

63.53 

135.8 

11.00 

Peru .  . 

71.42 

137.8 

10.10 

Henry . 

97.31 

141.1 

9.35 

Santa  Fp  Bridge 

111.02 

142.3 

8.43 

Spring  Bay . 

118..39 

142.6 

8.33 

Peoria . 

132.25 

143.0 

8. 42 

Pekin  . 

140.96 

144.2 

8.28 

Head  of  Senate  Island . 

157.73 

146.6 

7.66 

Liverpool .  . 

164.60 

147.5 

7.20 

Havana.  . 

173.05 

149.4 

5.80 

Foot  of  Grand  Island . 

186.36 

151.5 

5.83 

Beardstown . 

203.35 

154.5 

5.40 

Meredosia . 

222.19 

158.4 

4.40 

Head  of  Big  Blue  Island . . 

234.01 

160.3 

4.30 

Pearl . 

250.03 

163.3 

4.04 

Kampsville . 

261.81 

167.0 

4.02 

Grafton ...  . 

293.09 

168.3 

5.82 

Alton  dam . 

308.59 

169.0 

14.50 

Canal,  18  miles  long. 

*St.  Louis . 

326.59 

169.0 

30,00 

Canal  ends. 

Merchants’  Bridge . 

327.44 

199.0 

0.00 

The  width  of  the  channel  is  200  feet  on  the  bottom,  with  side  slopes  of  3  to  1.  Canal  is  160 
feet  wide  on  the  bottom,  with  side  slopes  of  2  to  1. 

Zero  of  distance  is  34.05  from  Lake  Michigan  at  mouth  of  Chicago  river. 

*30  foot  lift  lock,  the  elevation  of  upper  miter  sill  being  183,  and  the  lower  miter  sill  being 
213  below  Chicago  datum. 


42 


The  following  table  exhibits  quantities  and  cost  for  characteristic 
reaches  between  Lockport  and  St.  Louis: 

Estimate  of  cost  of  Fourteen-foot  Waterway  from  Lockport  to  St.  Louis. 


Division. 


Lockport  to  dam  No.  1, 
Joliet.  2.6  miles . 


Canal  dam  No.  1,  Joliet  to 
head  of  Lake  Joliet,  31 
miles . 


Head  of  Lake  Joliet  to  foot 
of  Treat’s  Island,  6.2^miles. 


Foot  of  Treat’s  Island  to 
Big  Dresden  Island,  7.5 
miles . . 


Big  Dresden  Island  to  Mar¬ 
seilles,  24.3  miles .  .. 


Items. 


Excavation,  rock,  cu¬ 
bic  yards . 

Lock  No.  1,  39-foot 

lift . 

Rebuilding  bridges, 
1  railway,  2  highway 
Contingencies,  10^... 


Excavation,  rock,  cu¬ 
bic  yards . 

Excavation,  earth,  cu¬ 
bic  yards . 

Excavation  .widening 
river,  rock,  cubic 

yards . 

Excavation,  widening 
river,  earth,  cubic 

yards . 

Embankment  for  ca¬ 
nal,  cubic  yards. . . . 
Locks  No.  2, 10-ft  lift; 

No.  3,  20— ft.  lift . 

Rebuilding  bridges, 
1  railway,  5  highway 
Right  of  way,  widen- 

river . 

Right  of  way,  canal 

acres  . 

Concrete  betw’n  river 
and  river,  cubic 

yards . 

Contingencies,  10%.. 


Excavation,  rock,  cu¬ 
bic  yards . 

Excavation,  earth,  cu¬ 
bic  yards  . 

Lock  No.  4,  10-foot 

lift  . . 

Dam  No.  2 . 

Bridges,  1  highway.. 
Land  to  be  overflowed 
Contingencies,  10%... 


Excavation,  rock,  cu¬ 
bic  yards  . 

Excavation ,  earth,  cu¬ 
bic  yards . 

Lock  No.  5  11-foot 

lift . 

Dam  No.  3 . 

Bridges,  1  highway.. 
Land  to  be  overflow¬ 
ed,  acres . 

Contingencies  10<. . .. 


Excavation,  rock,  cu¬ 
bic  yards . 

Excavation,  earth,  cu¬ 
bic  yards . 

Bridges,  2  highway, 

2  railway . 

Land  to  be  overflow¬ 
ed.  acres . 

Contingencies,  1(K... 


Quantities. 


Price 
per  unit. 


Cost. 


Total  cost. 


186,230 


240,118 

1  00 

$  240  118 

248, 160 

25 

71  040 

124,811 

1  00 

124  811 

152,995 

25 

38,249 

221,  508 

25 

55,377 

89 

50, 220 


15,911 

1,138,972 


101,292 
616,  524 


382 


195,971 

3,031,413 


$3  00 


$  558  690 

1, 185  958 

154  931 
189  958 


150  00 
6  00 


3  00 
25 


3  00 
25 


100  00 


3  00 
25 


1, 156  069 
642,532 
424, 897 
13,350 


301,320 
306, 776 


$  47, 773 

284,743 

481,179 
62,963 
70, 060 
33, 880 
98,048 


$303, 876 

154,131 

482,624 

117,790 

66,992 

38, 200 
116,361 


$587,913 

757, 853 

268, 945 

75,900 

169,061 


$2,089  537 


3,374  539 


1,078  526 


1,279  974 


1,859, 87- 


43 


Estimate  of  Cost ,  Etc. — Concluded. 


Division. 

Items. 

Quantities. 

Price 
per  unit. 

2  Cost. 

Total  cost. 

Marseilles  to  the  middle  of 
Bell’s  Island, 3.0  miles  — 

Excavation,  rock,  cu¬ 
bic  yards . 

1,176,316 

452,837 

123,910 

$  1  00 

$1,176,316 

113,209 

30,978 

992, 131 
74,717 
52, 640 
34,950 
247,494 

Excavation,  earth,  cu¬ 
bic  yards . 

25 

Embankment  for 
canal,  cubic  yards.. 
Locks,  No.  6,  guard, 
and  No.  7,  19ft.  lift. . 

25 

Dam  No.  4 . 

Bridges,  1  highway.. 

Right  of  way  ."acres". . . 
Contingencies,  10$.. . 

233 

150  00 

Middle  of  Bell’s  Island  to 
head  of  Bull’s  Island.  3.2 
miles . 

$2,722,435 

Excavation,  rock,  cu- 

bic  yards . 

117,317 

217 

3  00 

$351, 951 

21,700 

37,365 

Land  to  be  overflow¬ 
ed — acres . 

100  00 

Contingencies,  10$.. . 

Head  of  Bull’s  Island  to 
Lover’s  Leap  10.0  miles... 

*411,016 

Excavation,  rock,  cu¬ 
bic  yards . 

324, 916 

331,255 

70,061 

3  00 

$974,748 

82,814 

17,515 

925,157 

217,758 

234, 638 

122,100 
257,  473 

Excavation,  earth,  cu¬ 
bic  yards . 

25 

Levees,  cubic  yards . . 
Locks,  No.  8a,  8  foot 
lift  and  No.  10a,  13 
foot  lift . 

25 

Dams, No. 5  and  No. 7a 

Bridges,  1  railway,  2 
highway . 

- 

Land  to  be  overflow¬ 
ed — acres.. 

1,221 

ICO  00 

Contingencies,  10$.. . 

Lover’s  Leap  to  Peoria,  70.2 
miles . 

*2,832,203 

Excavation,  earth,  cu¬ 
bic  yards . 

2,434,206 

25 

$608,551 

213,910 

14,000 

83,649 

Bridges  2  railways .... 

Removing  dam  at 
Henry . 

Contingencies,  10$... 

Peoria  to  Beardstown,  71.1 
miles . 

920, 140 

Excavation,  earth,  cu¬ 
bic  yards . 

9,929,071 

25 

$2, 482, 268 

16,000 
249, 827 

• 

Removing  dam  at 
Copperas  Creek .... 

Contingencies,  10f$.. 

Beardstown  to  Grafton  89.7 
miles . 

$2,748,095 

Excavation,  earth,  cu¬ 
bic  yards . 

15, 172, 528 

25 

$3, 793, 132 

22,000 

28,000 

384,313 

Removing  dam  at  La 
Grange . 

Removing  dam  at 
Kampsville  ..  .. 

Contingencies,  10<... 

Grafton  to  St.  Louis,  23.35 
miles . 

4,227,445 

Excavation,  earth, cu¬ 
bic  yards . 

13,928,000 

25 

$3,482,000 
78, 208 
5,000 
604,993 

75,000 
465, 000 
272, 986 
974, 886 
595,807 

Paving . 

Dredging,  cubic  yards 
Dam  . 

10,000 

50 

Bridges,  highway  and 
sewer . 

Right  of  way— acres . . 
Headgates . 

1,550 

300  00 

Lock . 

* 

Contingencies,  10$ 

6, 553, 880 

Grand  total . 

$30,097,462 

*The  Board  of  Engineers  adopts  an  alternative  plan  for  these  two  reaches  with  a  total  esti¬ 
mate  of  $2,951,217,  ana  credits  the  balance  of  $292,002  to  the  Lower  Illinois. 


44 


Kef  erring  to  the  dams  in  the  Desplaines  and  Upper  Illinois,  the  re¬ 
port  (p.  12)  says:  “To  keep  this  (the  overflow)  at  a  minimum,  it  is 
proposed  to  make  the  dams  of  the  movable  type  which  shall  have  no 
effect  upon  the  water  surface  except  at  low  and  medium  stages.” 

The  board  accepts  the  established  pool  levels  at  and  above  Joliet  and 
avoids  water  power  complications  at  this  locality  by  a  canal  3.1  miles 
long  from  dam  No.  1  to  the  head  of  Lake  Joliet,  and  avoids  the  Mar¬ 
seilles  water  power  entirely  by  a  canal  3.0  miles  long.  (p.  12.)  “At 
other  places  economy  in  excavation  and  avoidance  of  overflow  have  been 
the  guiding  considerations.”  (p.  10.)  “The  entire  width  of  the  river 
is  closed  with  a  continuous  line  of  chanoine  wickets,” 

In  regard  to  the  development  of  water  power,  the  report  (p.  12)  says: 

“The  best  development  of  water  power  would  no  doubt  in  some  cases  call 
for  a  different  arrangement.  Fewer  dams  and  those  of  greater  height  and  of 
the  fixed  type  might,  from  that  point  of  view,  be  desirable.  The  plan  sub¬ 
mitted  is  not  designed  to  develop  water  power,  but  there  will  probably  be 
no  difficulty  in  modifying  it  so  as  to  conform  to  such  development,  if  those 
who  are  to  benefit  thereby  will  cooperate  with  the  government.  They  should 
pay  for  the  cost  of  the  dams  and  the  damages,  from  flowage,  which  is  no 
more  than  they  would  be  compelled  to  do  if  the  government  made  no  im¬ 
provement.” 

A  further  consideration  in  determining  the  project  seems  to  have 
been  the  height  to  which  it  was  considered  practicable  to  adapt  the 
Chanoine  wicket  system. 

The  size  of  locks  (600  by  80  feet)  was  a  matter  of  judgment  as  to  the 
requirements  of  the  route.  As  to  the  depth  of  the  locks,  the  report 
(p.  15)  says: 

“The  depth  over  the  miter  sills,  14  feet,  is  adapted  to  the  depth  of  the 
waterway  prescribed  by  the  law  under  which  the  board  is  acting.  It  would 
not  be  sufficient  for  the  greater  depths  which  would  be  made  practicable  in 
the  future  by  an  increased  discharge  from  Lake  Michigan.  If  such  future 
increase  is  to  be  permitted,  and  if  full  advantage  of  it  is  to  be  taken  for 
navigation  purposes,  it  will  be  necessary  to  rebuild  the  locks,  or  else  to  give 
a  greater  depth  over  the  miter  sills  now.  The  latter  may  be  done  if  Congress 
so  desires,  leaving  the  general  depth  of  the  waterway  at  14  feet,  as  projected. 
An  increase  of  six  feet  depth  on  the  miter  sills  would  add  about  $1,376,000.00 
to  the  cost  of  the  project.” 

In  regard  to  the  Lower  Illinois,  the  report  (p.  18)  says: 

“The  additional  flow  provided  by  the  Chicago  drainage  canal  is  now  4,200 
cubic  feet  per  second.  It  will  allow  the  removal  of  the  present  locks  and 
dams,  and  it  makes  practicable  the  maintenance  of  an  open  channel  con¬ 
siderably  deeper  than  the  seven  feet  now  provided  by  these  structures.  The 
increase  to  10,500  cubic  feet  per  second  makes  practicable  a  still  greater  open 
channel.” 

The  report  (p.  11)  also  says: 

“In  a  future  not  remote,  larger  volumes  of  water  may  be  needed  for  sani¬ 
tary  purposes,  and  channels  deeper  than  14  feet  will  then  become  practicable 
in  the  open  alluvial  section  of  the  Illinois  river.” 

The  report  refers. to  the  incidental  use  for  sewage  purposes  which 
has  always  been  made  of  the  watenvav  from  Lake  Michigan  to  the 
Illinois  river,  recognizes  the  navigable  quality  of  the  sanitary  and  ship 
canal  from  the  Chicago  river  to  Lockport,  discusses  lake  level  effects 
of  about  six  inches,  due  to  the  abstraction  of  10,000  second-feet  from 
Lake  Michigan-Huron ;  cites  the  conditions  under  which  the  United 


45 


States  may  acquire  control  of  the  sanitary  and  ship  canal,  and  calls 
attention  to  some  224  claims,  amounting  to  $4,400,180.00  for  damages 
from  overflow  on  account  of  the  addition  of  4,200  second-feet  from 
Lake  Michigan. 

The  Mississippi  Liver  Commission  says :  “The  sure  way  to  construct 
a  channel  fourteen  feet  deep  from  Alton  to  St.  Louis  is  to  construct  a 
canal  which  shall  leave  the  river  near  the  former  place  and  enter  it 
again  near  the  latter.”  A  movable  dam  of  2,500  feet  long  is  to  raise 
the  low  water  14.5  feet  at  Alton  and  6.7  feet  at  Grafton,  making  an  in¬ 
termediate  pool  of  15.5  miles.  For  sixty-one  days  of  the  average  yeaf 
the  stage  of  water  is  at  or  above  dam  level  and  the  open  river  will  be 
used.  The  canal  is  to  be  eighteen  miles  long,  with  a  lift  lock  of  thirty 
feet  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  above  the  Merchants’  bridge  at  St. 
Louis. 

No  suggestion  of  doubt  as  to  the  practicability  of  a  navigable  depth 
of  fourteen  feet  is  conveyed  by  the  report  of  the  Mississippi  Liver  Com¬ 
mission  nor  by  that  of  the  Board  of  Engineers.  The  latter  states,  in 
fact,  that  the  depth  obtainable  in  the  open  river  is  a  matter  of  water 
supply  from  Lake  Michigan. 

15.  Discussion  of  the  Federal  Project. 

A  careful  reading  of  the  report  of  the  Board  of  Engineers,  which 
deals  with  the  problems  of  most  intimate  concern  to  the  State  of  Illi¬ 
nois,  indicates  that  the  project  is  intended  to  determine  feasibility  and 
furnish  an  estimate  of  cost,  but  is  not  final;  indeed,  modifications  are 
suggested,  as  greater  depths  for  locks  and  a  different  treatment  in  the 
interest  of  water  power.  Some  matters  of  State  legislation  are  referred 
to  which  invite  possible  amendments.  The  State  is  vitally  interested 
in  the  development  Of  all  its  sources  of  wealth  and  a  careful  review  of 
the  project  is  important. 

The  attention  of  the  board  seems  not  to  have  been  called  to  the  fact 
that  the  actual  capacity  of  the  Sanitary  Canal  is  some  40  per  cent 
greater  than  the  minimum  of  10,000  second-feet  called  for  by  the  San¬ 
itary  District  Act,  and  that  the  same  is  completed  to  the  Chicago  river, 
.  except  a  strip  of  clay  excavation  seventy-three  feet  wide  and  7.8  miles 
long  between  Summit  and  Bobey  street,  Chicago,  although  these  facts 
were  recorded  by  the  Expert  Commission  of  1901,  and  published  in  the 
proceedings  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Sanitary  District  of  Chi¬ 
cago  (June  19,  1901.)  Various  projects  have  been  made  for  feeding 
this  volume  of  water  so  as  to  give  the  canal  a  navigable  depth  of  twenty- 
four  feet  at  low  water  of  Lake  Michigan  (Chicago  datum,  low  water 
of  1847),  but  as  the  10,000  second-feet  was  ample  to  produce  the  four¬ 
teen  feet  called  for  by  the  Act  of  Congress,  the  board  was  not  called  upon 
to  consider  the  larger  possibilities. 

In  discussing  the  effect  of  the  withdrawal  of  10,000  second-feet  of 
water  from  Lake  Michigan  upon  the  lake  levels,  the  board  has  this 
1 4  say: 

“The  effect  upon  the  level  of  Lake  Michigan  of  withdrawing  10,000  cubic 
feet  per  second  for  an  indefinite  period  has  been  the  subject  of  an  elaborate 
investigation  under  the  office  of  the  Lake  Survey  in  Detroit,  and  the  con¬ 
clusion  reached  is  that  the  final  effect  will  be  to  lower  the  level  about  6 


46 


inches.  (See  Annual  Report  of  Chief  of  Engineers  for  1900,  p.  5401,  and  for 
1902,  p.  2779,  and  p.  2825;  also  for  1904,  p.  4120.)  Oscillations  of  more  than 
6  inches  in  the  level  of  the  lake’s  surface  are  very  common,  often  occurring 
hourly  for  many  hours  in  succession,  while  oscillations  of  2  or  3  feet  within 
an  hour  are  not  uncommon.  Still  greater  oscillations  within  a  year  or  series 
of  years  occur,  all  from  natural  causes.  Moreover,  during  a  severe  winter  the 
discharge  of  St.  Clair  river  is  reduced  by  ice  to  less  than  one-third  its  nor¬ 
mal  discharge,  the  remaining  two-thirds  being  stored  up  in  Lakes  Huron- 
Michigan  and  raising  their  levels,  and  the  difference  between  the  total 
discharge  during  a  severe  winter  and  the  discharge  during  a  mild  winter 
will  probably  equal,  or  nearly  equal,  the  discharge  of  the  Chicago 
Draining  Canal  for  a  year.  A  permanent  average  lowering  of  six  (6)  inches 
in  the  lake’s  level,  therefore,  is  not  easily  observed  and  will  probably  not  be 
noticed  by  navigators.  Nevertheless,  the  effect  is  real  and  important.  Evi¬ 
dently  there  is  a  limit  to  the  amount  of  water  which  can  be  taken  from  the 
southern  end  of  Lake  Michigan  without  compensating  works  at  the  outlet 
of  Lake  Huron.” 

This  statement  frankly  admits  all  of  the  irregularities  and  unc-er- 
tainties  which  baffle  any  attempt  at  acurate  determination,  and  makes 
no  valid  argument  against  the  ultimate  withdrawal  of  the  maximum 
flow  of  14,000  second-feet. 

The  projected  treatment  of  the  Desplaines  and  Upper  Illinois  seeks 
to  disturb  flood  conditions  as  little  as  possible.  On  the  eontrar}T,  these 
should  be  disturbed  as  much  as  possible,  so  as  to  give  more  moderate 
velocities  for  navigation,  with  a  lower  flood  line  in  the  interest  of  land 
reclamation  and  with  less  variation  in  head  at  dams,  in  order  to  pro¬ 
duce  more  valuable  water  power.  A  channel  as  deep  as  the  Sanitary 
Canal  and  ultimately  as  wide  as  the  normal  river  bed,  especially  for  the 
Morris  reach,  would  meet  all  conditions  so  far  as  practicable. 

The  flow  line,  as  projected  for  the  Lower  Illinois,  is  eleven  feet  above 
original  low  water  at  Lttica  and  passes  over  the  tops  of  the  dams  at 
Hemy  and  Copperas  Creek,  being  9.4  feet  at  Henry,  8.4  feet  at  Peoria 
and  7.7  feet  at  Copperas  Creek  Lock.  The  line  works  out  better  between 
Havana  and  the  mouth,  being  between  four  and  six  feet  above  low  water. 
This  flow  line,  especially  for  the  upper  half  of  the  Lower  Illinois,  may 
be  said  to  ignore  the  value  of  the  bottom  lands  entirely,  except  as  a  fish 
and  forest  reserve,  on  the  theory  that  whatever  value  for  cultivation  re¬ 
mains  since  locks  and  dams  were  brlilt  is  to  be  paid  for  in  damages 
by  the  Sanitary  District  of  Chicago.  However,  the  art  of  hydraulic 
dredging  has  so  developed  as  to  justify  a  lower  flow  line,  much  lower 
in  the  upper  half  of  the  river,  and  a  channel  not  only  sufficient  to  care 
for  the  extra  water  from  Lake  Michigan,  but  also  to  constitute  a  better 
drain  for  the  valley.  How  far  this  may  go  is  simply  a  matter  of  re¬ 
sources  to  be  applied  to  the  work. 

16.  The  State  Project. 

In  1895  and  prior  thereto  studies  were  made  in  the  office  of  the  San¬ 
itary  District  for  a  provisional  project  for  deep  water  from  Loc-kport 
to  the  Mississippi  river.  The  Sanitary  Canal  was  to  be  extended  two 
miles,  and  the  same  depth  carried  to  Lake  Joliet  in  a  pool  through  the 
city  of  Joliet,  at  forty  feet  below  Chicago  datum.  Two  high  lift  locks, 
750  bv  90  feet,  were  to  be  provided  and  the  estimated  cost  was  $8,000- 
000.00. 

—  - - 1 

_ > 


47 


A  descent  of  sixty  feet  between  Lake  Joliet  and  Utica  was  distributed 
in  three  dams,  and  a  channel  300  feet  wide  and  fourteen  feet  deep  be¬ 
low  crest  of  dam  was  to  be  excavated  through  the  pools  at  an  estimated 
cost  of  $10,000,000.00.  To  make  the  depth  nineteen  feet  was  estimated 
at  $17,000,000.00.  By  raising  the  levels  five  feet  a  depth  of  twenty- 
four  feet  was  estimated  at  $2,000,000.00  additional. 

The  flow  line  for  the  lower  river  at  Utica  was  taken  at  140  feet  below 
Chicago  datum,  or  four  feet  lower  than  that  of  the  recent  official  pro¬ 
ject.  A  channel  fourteen  feet  deep  and  300  feet  wide  was  estimated 
at  66,320,000  yards,  and  it  was  assumed  that  the  excavation  could  be 
increased  to  100,000,000  yards  for  the  estimated  cost  of  $7,000,000.00. 
The  total  estimate  was  $25,000,000.00. 

A  similar  treatment  is  now  recommended  as  follows : 

PLAN,  LOCKPORT  TO  UTICA. 

Joliet  Level,  from  Lockport  to  Lake  Joliet — Beginning  at  the  dam 
and  power  house  of  the  Sanitary  District  of  Chicago,  thirty-six  miles 
from  Lake  Michigan,  a  lock  called  lock  No.  1,  is  proposed  as  shown  upon 
the  map,  having  a  normal  lift  of  thirty-nine  feet.  In  the  extreme  case 
of  very  low  water  in  the  Desplaines  river,  very  high  water  in  Lake 
Michigan  and  the  flow  through  the  drainage  canal  shut  off,  this  lift 
may  be  increased  to  forty-five  feet.  It  is  proposed  to  hold  the  pool 
level  below  the  lock  at  545  Memphis  datum  ecpiiva’lent  to  minus  41.9 
Chicago  city  datum,  and  109.9  Hennepin  datum,  and  to  continue  this 
pool  level  through  the  city  of  Joliet  to  the  head  of  Lake  Joliet.  The 
present  drainage  canal  water  power  channel  extension  is  already  com¬ 
plete  to  a  point  a  mile  below  the  power  house  and  just  below  the  E.  J. 
&  E.  By.  bridge,  the  depth  beinsr  twenty  feet  and  the  width  160  feet  all 
through  rock.  From  this  point  there  is  a  present  depth  of  ten  feet 
and  it  is  proposed  to  carry  the  depth  of  twenty  feet  and  the  width  of  160 
feet  through  the  rock  to  the  point  where  the  channel  empties  into  the 
upper  basin  formed  by  the  present  dam  No.  1,  in  Joliet.  From  here  it 
is  proposed  to  carry  a  depth  of  twenty  feet  and  a  width  of  300  feet 
through  the  city  of  Joliet  to  a  point  near  McDonough  street,  removing 
the  present  dam  at  Jackson  street,  and  embracing  within  the  new 
channel  the  I  and  M  canal  prism  on  the  right  bank,  and  property  belong¬ 
ing  to  the  sanitary  District  of  Chicago  on  the  left  bank.  A  levee  will 
be  constructed  on  the  left  bank  and  nine  bridges  must  be  raised  or  re¬ 
built.  Below  McDonough  street,  the  pool  above  the  dam  will  widen  out 
as  shown  on  the  map,  being  contained  on  the  left  by  an  earth  levee  and 
on  the  right  by  the  I  and  M.  canal  bank.  The  power  house,  dam  and 
lock  will  be  located,  as  shown  on  the  map,  below  Brandon’s  road,  and  the 
location  of  the  road  will  be  changed  so  as  to  cross  at  the  lock  by  a  bas¬ 
cule  bridge,  and  to  run  over  the  top  of  the  turbine  chambers  at  the 
power  house.  Hickory  creek  will  be  diverted  into  a  channel  parallel 
and  adjacent  to  the  entraining  levee  and  will  empty  into  the  river  be¬ 
low’  the  nov’er  house.  An  intercepting  sewer  paralleling  the  left  bank 
and  emptying  into  Hickory  creek  is  proposed.  About  698,750  cubic 
yards  of  rock  will  be  excavated,  two  railroad  bridges  and  seven  highway 


48 


bridges  will  be  reconstructed,  and  dam  Xo.  1  and  the  old  canal  lock  will 
be  removed.  The  equity  in  the  plant  at  dam  Xo.  1  will  be  transferred 
to  the  new  development  at  Brandon’s  road.  The  cost  of  this  section  is 
estimated  at  $7,775,164.00. 

Dresden  Heights  Level,  Lake  Joliet  to  Big  Dresden  Island — Below 
the  Brandon’s  road  development,  a  pool  fourteen  miles  long  is  created 
by  a  dam  (Xo.  2)  at  the  mouth  of  the  Desplaines  river,  just  above  the 
confluence  with  the  Kankakee.  This  is  a  spillway  dam  and  the  channel 
is  carried  about  a  mile  farther  down  between  a  concrete  entraining  wall 
on  the  left  and  the  right  bank  of  the  I.  and  M.  canal  on  the  right,  em¬ 
bracing  the  I.  and  M.  canal  prism.  The  crest  of  the  spillway  dam  is 
518  Memphis  datum,  equivalent  to  minus  68.9  Chicago  city  datum,  and 
82.9  Hennepin  datum.  Some  land  is  flowed  in  this  plan  and  some 
channel  excavation  is  necessary  at  Treat’s  Island,  and  the  upper  end 
of  the  pool.  The  channel  excavation  will  have  a  bottom  width  of  300 
feet  and  a  depth  of  fourteen  feet.  Is  is  proposed  to  construct  an  earth 
levee  on  the  left  of  the  channel  from  a  point  above  Riley’s  creek,  and 
.  to  divert  Riley’s  creek  into  a  ditch  parallel  and  adjacent  to  this  levee 
emptying  into  the  Kankakee  river  at  its  mouth.  The  lock  and  power 
house  will  be  located  at  Big  Dresden  Island  as  shown  on  the  map,  the 
island  chute  being  utilized  for  a  tail  race.  This  plan  relieves  the  power 
plant  of  back  water  difficulties  from  the  Kankakee  and  gives  a  good 
alignment  for  the  waterway.  Two  highway  bridges  must  be  rebuilt. 
The  amount  of  channel  excavation  is  about  97,777  cubic  yards,  about 
351,155  cubic  yards  of  earth  levees,  and  135,000  cubic  yards  of  concrete 
entraining  walls.  The  estimated  cost  of  this  section  is  $3,354,030.00. 

j Marseilles  Level — Bio  Dresden  Island  to  BelVs  Island — Below  Big 
Dresden  Island  a  single  pool  extends  to  the  head  of  Ballard’s 
Island,  a  distance  of  about  24  miles.  The  dam  (Xo.  3)  creating 
this  pool  is  an  overfall  or  spillway  dam  from  the  head  of  Ballard’s  Is¬ 
land  to  the  right  bank.  The  level  of  this  pool  at  the  downstream  end 
is  495  Memphis  datum,  equivalent  to  minus  91.9  Chicago  city  datum 
and  59.9  Hennepin  datum.  The  crest  of  the  dam  is  placed  at  an  eleva¬ 
tion  that  will  allow  all  of  the  discharge  over  14,000  cubic  feet  per  second 
to  flow  to  the  Marseilles  dam  and  power  development.  This  14,000  cubic 
feet  per  second  is  the  volume  of  the  artificial  flow  from  Lake  Michigan, 
and  all  of  the  discharge  in  excess  of  this  amount  is  the  natural  flow  of 
the  stream,  the  same  volume  that  was  utilized  at  Marseilles  before  this 
increment  was  added.  The  diversion  of  the  artificial  flow  leaves  the  Mar¬ 
seilles  power  development  only  the  natural  flow  of  the  stream.  This  con¬ 
struction  is  a  diversion  which  removes  from  Marseilles  all  danger  of 
overflow  during  flood  periods.  There  is  approximately  285,259  cubic 
yards  of  channel  dredging  necessary  in  this  pool  and  the  cuts,  where 
necessary,  will  have  a  bottom  width  of  300  feet,  and  a  depth  of  14  feet. 
From  the  head  of  Ballard’s  Island  the  waterway  will  follow  the  Island 
Chute  and  a  channel  on  the  left  bank  of  the  stream  as  shown  on  the 
map.  From  the  Ballard’s  Island  dam  this  channel  will  be  contained  on 
the  river  side  by  an  earth  levee  running  nearly  to  the  head  of  Bell  Is¬ 
land,  about  three  miles  below.  This  levee  will  be  rip-rapped  on  its  inner 
slope.  Xo  levee  will  be  built  on  the  left  of  the  channel  as  the  overflow 


t 


49 


is  inconsiderable,  as  will  be  shown  by  an  inspection  of  the  495  contour. 
At  the  end  of  this  artificial  channel  and  opposite  the  head  of  Bell’s  Is¬ 
land  will  be  located  Lock  No.  4  and  the  power  house.  There  will  be 
approximately  2,862,865  cubic  yards  of  excavation  in  this  artificial  chan¬ 
nel.  Two  railroad  bridges  and  three  highway  bridges  must  be  recon- 
srtucted.  The  estimated  cost  of  this  entire  section  is  $3,643,847.00. 

Utica — Level.  BelVs  Island  to  Utica — From  the  foot  of  the 
Marseilles  Canal  a  pool  extends  to  the  head  of  Delbridge 
Island  .a  distance  of  about  ten  miles,  where  dam  No.  4  is 
located.  The  level  of  this  pool  at  the  lower  end  is  466  Memphis  datum, 
equivalent  to  minus  120.9  Chicago  city  datum  and  30.9  Hennepin  datum. 
The  channel  follows  the  river  as  shown  on  the  map  except  at  the  cut¬ 
off  through  the  Sheehan  Island  Chute,  and  the  dredging  necessary 
amounts  to  about  684,165  cubic  yards.  The  dam  at  the  head  of  Del- 
bridge  Island  is  an  overfall  or  spillway  dam,  permitting  the  flood  dis¬ 
charge  to  flow  down  both  branches  of  the  river  on  either  side  of  the 
chain  of  islands.  The  channel  has  exit  from  the  pool  through  the  centre 
of  the  dam  and  extends  in  an  artificial  cut,  300  feet  wide  on  the  bottom 
and  14  feet  deep,  between  containing  levees  through  the  chain  of  islands ; 
Delbridge  Island,  Island  No.  4,  Leopold  Island,  Island  No.  1,  and  Plum 
Island,  to  the  lower  end  of  Plum  Island  where  the  power  house  and 
Lock  No.  5  are  located.  This  development  is  accomplished  with  the 
least  excavation  and  the  least  overflow,  the  flats  above  IJtica  and  pn  the 
right  bank  being  in  this  manner  absolutely  protected  from  overflow.  The 
amount  of  excavation  in  this  channel  is  approximately  1,744,052  cubic 
yards.  One  highway  and  one  railroad  bridge  must  be  reconstructed  and 
the  cost  of  the  entire  level  is  estimated  at  $3,030,157.00. 

From  Lockport  to  Utica  five  lift  docks,  four  pools  and  two  canals,  re¬ 
place  the  eight  lift  locks,  one  guard  lock,  seven  levels  and  two  canals  of 
the  Federal  project.  No  rock  will  be  excavated  below  Lake  Joliet  that 
cannot  be  removed  by  suitable  dredges. 

Utica  to  Grafton — The  low  water  elevation  below  the  Utica  bridge  is 
446.6  Memphis  datum,  equivalent  to  minus  140.3  Chicago  city  datum 
and  11.5  Hennepin  datum.  Dredging  this  channel,  as  will  be  necessary 
in  any  theory  of  development,  will  lower  this  low  water  surface  elevation 
materially  and  increase  the  available  head  at  the  power  plant. 

The  ultimate  flow  line  for  the  Lower  Illinois  river  is  assumed  at  146 
feet  below  Chicago  datum  at  Udica,  or  six  feet  lower  than  the  low  water 
surface,  and  at  170  feet  below  Chicago  datum  at  Grafton,  or  1.7  feet 
below  that  of  the  Federal  report,  and  five  feet  above  the  low  water  taken 
by  the  Mississippi  Eiver  Commission.  The  fall  of  the  river  for  this  flow 
line  will  be  twenty  feet,  or  ten  feet  less  than  the  natural  declivity.  Suffi¬ 
cient  study  has  been  given  the  matter  to  show  that  with  the  increased 
volume  of  40  per  cent  to  50  per  cent  (14,000  to  15,000  second-feet) 
above  that  considered  by  the  Board  of  Engineers,  a  depth  of  at  least 
eighteen  feet  can  be  produced  in  a  commodious  channel,  and  that  twenty- 
four  feet  can  be  carried  as  far  as  Peoria  over  the  easy  grades  above  that 


—4  L  G 


50 


point.  This  depth  (eighteen  feet)  is  as  great  as  can  now  be  carried 
through  the  intermediate  channels  of  the  great  lakes  at  standard  low 
water,  and  the  lakes  were  lower  by  one  foot  in  1895. 

On  any  theory  of  improvement  a  dam  is  required  in  the  vicinity  of 
Alton,  but  the  change  in  flow  line  by  1.7  feet  at  Grafton  will  require  a 
lower  elevation  by  about  two  feet,  or  at  171  feet  below  Chicago  datum. 
The  canal  from  Alton  to  St.  Louis  would  also  require  to  be  lowered  by 
two  feet.  The  question  is  raised  as  to  whether  the  dam  could  not  be 
placed  two  or  three  miles  farther  down  stream  and  perhaps  enter  the 
river  again  at  a  higher  point,  or  be  made  shorter.  It  is  sufficient  now, 
however,  to  know  that  the  problem  can  be  solved  in  the  way  proposed. 
The  first  purpose  is  obviously  to  open  up  waterway  communication  which 
already  exists  over  this  division,  and  there  will  be  ample  time  to  ascer¬ 
tain  anv  modification  or  alternative  for  this  part  of  the  project,  partic¬ 
ularly  from  the  dam  to  the  harbor  of  St.  Louis. 

17.  The  Locks. 

The  nine  locks  between  Lockport  and  LTtica  are  estimated  in  the 
Federal  plan  at  $5,128,077.00.  The  five  locks  of  the  State  plan  with 
21  feet  of  water  on  the  miter  sills  are  estimated  at  $5,929,690.00  or 
$801,613.00  more  than  the  Federal  estimate.  The  dimensions  of  locks 
recommended  by  your  commission  are, — length  900  feet  between  hollow 
quoins,  width  80  feet,  depth  over  miter  sills  24  feet. 

The;  width  of  these  structures  is  limited  by  the  _ permanent  works  in 
the  Chicago  Sanitary  and  Ship  Canal,  the  channel  clearance  at  the 
Butterfly  Valve  in  Lockport  being  eighty  feet.  If  this  condition  did 
not  preclude  discussion,  it  might  be  pointed  out  that  the  Federal  Govern¬ 
ment  is  constructing  a  lock  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie  with  a  width  of  80 
feet  and  length  of  1350  feet,  after  having  used  for  many  years  a  lock 
100  feet  wide.  The  Poe  lock  is  100  by  800. 

A  greater  length  than  600  feet  is,  however,  justified  for  this  route. 
One  of  the  considerations  which  led  the  board  to  adopt  a  lock  as  long 
as  600  feet  was  to  enable  lake  ship  builders  to  deliver  the  output  of  their 
yards  to  customers  at  the  seaboard,  but  since  the  report  was  written  a 
ship  600  feet  long  has  been  launched  for  the  lake  trade,  and  another 
over  600  feet  long  is  on  the  ways.  Longer  ships  are  in  use  on  the  high 
seas,  and  no  reason  exists  why  crafts  of  all  kinds,  both  long  and  wide, 
should  not  be  built  in  lake  yards  and  delivered  by  this  route,  except  the 
limitations  of  lock  dimensions. 

The  Board  of  Engineers  on  Deep  Waterways,  in  their  report  (1900) 
on  deep  waterway  between  Lake  Erie  and  the  Hudson  river,  adopted  a 
lock  dimension  of  740  by  80  feet,  or  140  feet  longer  than  in  the  Federal 
project  of  the  southern  route.  There  are  special  reasons,  owing  to  their 
relations  to  river  navigation  and  fleet  towing  and  to  ship  building,  why 
these  locks  should  be  made  longer  and  of  the  dimensions  proposed,  900 
by  80  feet. 

The  extra  money  for  the  larger  locks  should  not  be  considered  as 
against  the  construction  of  possible  bariers  to  future  development.  It  is 
part  of  the  irony  of  fate  that  the  conditions  have  outgrown,  on  admitted 


51 


joints,  the  provision  of  the  board,  even  before  its  recommendations 
could  be  considered.  •  The  history  of  public  works  is  largely  a  history  of 
utilities  that  were  obsolete  or  outgrown  before  they  could  be  completed. 
Project  your  works  on  such  a  scale  of  magnitude  that  no  one  for  a  cen¬ 
tury  could  wish  them  larger,  was  the  spirit  of  the  advice  of  Senator 
Edmunds  to  the  first  International  Deep  Waterways  Commission. 


18.  The  Water  Power. 


Fixed  dams,  good  heads  of  twenty  feet  or  more  and  as  little  variation 
from  flood  conditions  as  possible,  -are  prime  elements  in  a  good  water 
power.  Heads  of  twenty  to  forty  feet  where  practicable  reduce  the 
number  of  locks  and  give  more  ample  pools  for  navigation,  and  capacious 
channels  give  less  back  water,  thus  reducing  -slopes  and  overflow  of  mar¬ 
ginal  lands  and  moderating  the  velocities.  The  best  treatment  for 
water  power  may  also  be  the  best  treatment  for  navigation.  '  Flowage 
may  be  increased  in  the  vicinity  of  dams  and  in  the  lower  reaches  of 
pools,  but  this  is  more  than  offset  by  the  betterments  below.  Happily, 
between  Joliet  and  Utica  the  treatment  does  not  involve  serious  flowage 


questions,  and  the  constructive  advantages  far  outweigh  the  value  of 
lands  that  may  lie  taken.  Modern  practice  locates  water  power  dams 
at  the  foot  of  rapids  rather  than  at  the  head,  and  generally  down  stream 
as  far  as  possible,  in  order  to  mask  the  effect  of  floods. 

When  the  channel  has  been  fully  developed  so  as  to  give  moderate 
velocities  and  low  slopes  in  floods,  the  effective  horsepower  on  the  turbine 
shaft,  with  14,000  second-feet  from  Lake  Michigan  will  be  as  follows: 

Head.  H.  P. 

Brandon’s  Road,  Plant  No.  1  . 24  38,182 

Big  Dresden  Island,  Plant  No.  2  . 18  28,636 

Bell’s  Island,  Plant  No.  3  . 26  ’  41,364 

Utica,  Plant  No.  4  . 20  31,818 


Total  .  140,000 

The  above  estimate  assumes  that  10.3  feet  out  of  the  total  fall  of  98.4 
feet,  will  be  consumed  in  slope,  back  water  and  other  impediments  to 
flow,  and  that  the  effective  head  will  be  88.0  at  low  water. 

All  of  these  powers,  with  the  exception  of  the  one  at  Utica,  have 
practically  full  value  under  flood  conditions.  The  power  at  Dresden 
Island  is  so  located  as  to  escape  flood  water  obstruction  from  the  Kan¬ 
kakee,  and  will  not  be  seriously  affected  even  by  a  simultaneous  flood  in 
both  the  Desplaines  and  the  Kankakee.  The  BelFs  Island  power  takes 
only  the  artificial  increment  of  flow  from  the  Marseilles  development, 
and  removes  from  Marseilles  all  danger  of  overflow  during  flood  periods. 
The  Utica  power  will  always  be  affected  by  flood  conditons  in  the  river 
below,  but  extreme  floods  are  exceptional  and  a  radical  improvement  of 
the  Lower  Illinois  should  better  these  conditons.  At  low  water  the 
head  will  be  twenty  feet,  but  this  should  be  increased  by  river  improve¬ 
ment  to  twenty-six  feet.  In  an  ultimate  development  an  installation 
adapted  to  large  variations  in  head  will  make  this  power  available. 

Power  rentals  on  a  basis  of  $25.00  per  horse  power  per  year  should 
show  a  minimum  net  earning  of  $2,500,000.00  or  a  return  of  1 2y2  per 


52 


cent  on  construction  cost,  though  the  true  result  would  probably  be  far 
in  excess  of  this.  As  the  market  developes,  this  power  may  reach  an 
investment  value  of  $1,000.00  per  horse  power  as  in  older  countries,  and 
it  may  produce  taxable  wealth  to  three  or  four  times  this  amount.  Such 
a  resource  the  State  cannot  afford  to  ignore. 

The  water  power  is,  however,  strictly  a  by-product  of  the  waterway, 
which  is  of  national  and  even  international  concern.  No  existing  power, 
now  or  in  the  future,  should  be  permitted  to  condition  in  any  way  or 
interfere  with  the  best  possible  waterway  development,  and  the  Legis¬ 
lature  may  wisely  safeguard  the  appropriation  of  waters  for  waterway 
and  sanitary  purposes. 

In  a  public  utility  so  fundamental  as  water  power,  it  is  a  question  as 
to  how  far  it  should  vest  in  private  control.  The  Sanitary  District  has 
developed  a  power  at  Lockport,  and  the  power  at  dam  No.  1  in  Joliet 
is  operated  under  a  lease  from  the  State,  the  equity  in  which  may  be 
transferred  to  the  Brandon’s  road  development.  Ultimately  the  con¬ 
trol  of  all  may  be  wisely  vested  in  some  public  agency,  Municipal  or 
otherwise,  under  proper  restrictions,  but  the  immediate  development  and 
sale  of  power  from  the  four  plants  considered  in  this  report  should  be 
entrusted  to  the  construction  commission,  in  order  that  the  power 
revenue  may  contribute  as  soon  as  possible  to  the  fixed  charges,  operat¬ 
ing  expenses  and  refunding  of  construction  cost. 

The  following  table  gives  a  synopsis  of  the  estimate  of  construction 
cost : 


State  Plan. 


Estimate  of  Cost — Loclcport  to  TJtica. 


Division. 


Lockport  to  Brandon’s 
Road . 


Brandon’s  Road  to  Dresden 
Island . 


Dresden  Island  to  Bell’s 
Island . 


Bell’s  Island  to  Utica 


Grand  total 


Item. 

Quantity. 

Unit 

price. 

Cost. 

• 

Lock  No.  1 . 

$1,185,938 

1,746*875 
16. 554 
104, 777 

1,543, 360 

229,259 
10, 000 
5,000 

797,463 
900, 000 
1,185,938 
50,000 

Excavation: 

Rock,  cubic  yards . 

Concrete,  cubic  yards. 
Retaining  walls . 

698, 750 
8,277 
104,777 

248, 560 

456,518 

$2  50 
2  00 
1  00 

6  00 

50 

Lp.  sum 
.  .do . 

Concrete  retaining 
walls  . 

Earth  and  rock,  back 
fill . 

Removal  dam  No.  1.. 

Removal  canal  lock  .. 

Rebuilding  bridges,  2 
railway,  7  highway . . 

Power  house . 

Lock . 

Sewer  diversion  . 

Excavation,  channel, 
cubic  yards . 

97,777 

351,155 

7,750 
135, 000 
7,500 

25 

30 

15  00 
6  00 
10  00 

$  24,444 

105,346 

116,250 
810,000 
75,000 
1,185,938 
900, 000 
137,052 

Levees/cubic  yards.. 
Concrete,  dam,  cubic 
yards . 

Retaining  walls . 

Crib,  linear  feet . 

Lock . 

Power  house . 

Bridges,  2  highway... 

Excavation,  channel, 
cubic  yards . 

285, 259 
2, 862, 865 

25 

30 

$  71,315 

858, 859 
189,150 
1,185,938 
117,000 
900,000 

321,585 

Marseilles  Canal . 

Rip  rap . 

Lock. . . . . . 

Dam . 

Power  house . 

Bridges,  3  highway,  2 
railway . 

Dredging,  cubic  yards, 
Excavation  and  levees 
Dams . 

684,165 

1,744,052 

5,000 

25 
30 
15  00 

$  171,041 
523,215 
75,  000 
1,185,938 
900,000 

174,963 

Lock . 

Power  house . 

Bridges,  1  highway,  1 
railroad . 

Right  of  way . 

Contingencies,  10^ _ 

$7,175,164 


3, 354,030 


3,643,847 


3,030,157 


$17,803,198 
340, 000 
1,814,319 


$19,957,517 


19.  Land  Reclamation. 

The  lands  in  the  Morris  reach  of  the  Upper  Illinois  subject  to  over¬ 
flow,  aggregate  7,780  acres.  When  the  channel  opposite  is  fully  devel¬ 
oped,  not  over  ten  to  twenty  per  cent  of  these  lands  should  be  within 
flood  limits,  and  these  should  be  materially  bettered.  Other  lands  along 
the  Upper  Illinois  and  Desplaines  rivers  do  not  aggregate  25  per  cent  of 
the  total  value,  and  some  of  these  will  be  benefited  and  others  damaged. 


54 


The  lower  Illinois  valley  under  the  high  water  of  1904,  aggregates 
363,869  acres.  Above  the  high  water  of  1904,  there  are  probably  65,000 
acres  reached  by  such  floods  as  those  of  1844  and  1858,  which  occur  two 
or  three  times  in  a  century.  Of  the  area  under  the  flood  of  1904,  the 
present  water  area,  with  the  existing  locks  and  dams,  is  78,216  acres, 
of  which  28,811  acres  lie  within  the  river  bed  and  the  remainder  in  the 
outlying-  lagoons,  bayous,  etc.  The  land  area  proper  is  258,653  acres. 
A  further  deduction  for  marginal  lands  and  other  low  areas,  will  prob¬ 
ably  reduce  the  land  area  to  about  250.000  acres  subject  to  reclamation. 
Xo  estimate  has  been  made  of  the  relative  elevation  of  these  lands. 

The  entire  area  under  the  greatest  known  flood  may  be  taken  in 
round  numbers  at  430,000  acres.  Of  this,  65,000  may  be  flooded  two 
or  three  times  in  a  century,  and  another  65,000  acres,  once  or  twice  in 
a  decade.  Some  185,000  acres  are  subject  to  ordinary  floods,  35,000 
acres  of  marginal  and  low  areas  are  generally  under  water,  and  80,000 
acres  are  permanently  covered  by  water  under  existing  conditions. 

The  130,000  acres  subject  to  rare  and  occasional  floods  are  valuable 
for  agriculture,  but  any  scheme  of  reclamation  will  benefit  these  lands. 
The  185,000  acres  cannot  develope  a  large  value  without  protection 
from  overflow. 

The  80,000  acres  of  submerged  lands  have  a  high  value  for  fish  cul¬ 
ture,  the  present  yield  bringing  $10.00  per  acre  to  the  fisherman,  while 
the  consumer  pays  double.  It  is  not  too  much  to  expect  that  this  crop 
will  increase  to  a  value  of  $15.00  to  $20.00  per  acre  in  the  future,  or 
amount  to  $1,200,000.00  to  $1,600,000.00  annually.  Any  policy  of 
reclamation  should  jealously  guard  this  source  of  wealth. 

The  220,000  acres  in  marginal  low  lands  and  under  ordinary  floods, 
ought  to  he  worth  $5.00  per  acre  per  year  under  systematic  forestry. 
Low  land  timber  reproduces  rapidly  and  is  now  valuable,  and  will  be¬ 
come  more  valuable  in  the  future.  An  annual  crop  of  $1,100,000.00 
from  such  a  source  is  not  to  he  deprecated. 

So  the  300,000  acres  of  water  and  now  inferior  lands  mav  easily  yield 
a  revenue  of  perhaps  $2,500,000.00  per  year  in  the  future,  which  is  not 
a  bad  showing  for  property  presumed  to  have  little  or  no  value.  From 
the  merely  waterway  and  sanitary  standpoint,  it  would  have  been  wise 
to  have  purchased  these  lands  outright  (at  a  cost  less  than  the  claims 
for  flowage  against  the  Sanitary  District  now  amount  to)  and  to  have 
taken  up  the  radical  improvement  of  the  river  at  leisure.  A  generous 
depth  for  navigation  could  have  been  produced  as  proposed  by  the 
Board  of  Engineers,  and  this  channel  could  have  been  bettered  at  con¬ 
venience,  and  eventually  the  lands  valuable  for  agriculture  could  have 
been  reclaimed  and  sold. 

Considerable  progress  has  already  been  made  in  reclaiming  lands. 
An  area  is  enclosed  by  levees  along  the  river  front  and  up  tributaries 
to  the  bluffs,  and  a  pumping  station  installed  to  keep  down  the  inside 
waters  in  times  of  flood.  This  treatment  is  extending  to  the  favored 
tracts,  but  there  are  large  areas  beyond  the  scope  of  ordinary  enterprise. 

The  physical  problem  of  reclamation  is  no  easy  one.  The  river  bed 
within  the  banks  is  of  limited  capacity,  not  more  than  20  per  cent  to. 
30  per  cent  of  the  probable  flood  volume  when  restricted  to  the  course 


iJ-J 

of  the  stream.  The.  bottoms  are  great  reservoirs  which  prolong  the 
duration  of  floods  and  lessen  the  maximum.  At  Beardstown  the  flood 
levels  of  different  years  show  divergence  increasing  .toward  the  mouth 
under  the  diverse  influence  of  the  back  water  from  the  Mississippi,  and 
this  again  in  some  notable  instances  is  affected  by  the  Missouri.  Under 
ordinary  conditions,  the  flood  volume  near  the  mouth  is  not  over  half 
what  it  would  be  if  restrained  to  the  river  course  through  the  valley, 
but  in  some  years,  like  that  of  1904,  when  the  Mississippi  was  relatively 
lower,  the  volume  reached  two-thirds  of  the  extreme  flood  expectation. 
Such  influences  show  up  in  an  enlarged  capacity  of  the  river  bed  as  the 
mouth  is  approached. 

If  the  general  horizon  of  the  river  bed  could  be  lowered  ten  to  twelve 
feet  and  the  excavated  material  used  to  fill  in  the  foreshores  and  raise 
the  banks,  thus  forming  a  regular  channel,  a  moderate  additional  bank 
height  would  be  sufficient.  If  such  plan  was  extended  up  the  tributaries 
to  the  bluffs,  complete  protection  would  be  afforded,  but  the  enclosed 
areas  would  probablv  require  pumping  in  wet  years.  Such  a  plan  would 
involve  the  removal  of  300,090,000  to  400,000,000  cubic  yards  of  ma¬ 
terial,  and  require  a  long  time  in  execution.  Below  Beardstown,  and 
increasing  in  degree  toward  the  mouth,  the  problem  is  complicated  by 
back  water  effects  from  the  Mississippi. 

Any  radical  change  in  flood  conditions  at  the  mouth  involves  a  heroic 
undertaking,  nothing  less  than  a  change  in  the  course  of  the  Mississippi 
and  possibly  of  the  Missouri.  Xo  justification  has  yet  appeared  of 
sufficient  weight  to  lead  to  official  consideration/and  such  project  would 
probably  be  regarded  as  in  advance  of  the  art  and  without  sufficient 
reason.  The  matter  has  not  been  sufficiently  studied  to  warrant  sug¬ 
gestions  at  this  time. 

In  the  report  of  1868,  Colonel  Ulffers  suggested  that  tributaries 
should  be  diverted  and  reach  the  river  through  the  ponds  and  lagoons 
in  order  to  arrest  the  supply  of  detritus  from  the  uplands.  Such  a 
policy,  if  practicable,  would  be  conservative,  but  no  fear  is  entertained 
in  regard  to  the  deterioration  of  the  river  when  it  has  been  reformed 
and  supplied  with  a  generous  volume  of  water  in  the  dry  season.  These 
back  waters  are  valuable  fish  preserves  which  must  not  be  lost  sight  of 
in  any  plan  for  land  reclamation  and  river  improvement.  The  whole 
subject  matter,  is  one  that  requires  further  study. 

Meantime  the  matter  reverts  to  what  may  be  justified  in  the  interests 
of  navigation,  and  without  prejudice  to  existing  interests,  and  to  the 
incidental  benefits  which  may  accrue  from  the  manner  in  which  the 
work  is  prosecuted.  A  channel  eighteen  feet  deep  below  the  flow  line 
already  suggested  is  justified  for  purposes  of  navigation  and  is  within 
the  resources  that  should  be  applied  to  the  work.  Such  a  channel  will 
care  for  the  increment  of  water  from  Lake  Michigan  and  be  a  better¬ 
ment  to  flood  conditions.  The  material  dredged  from  the  river  can 
and  should  be  so  wasted  as  to  fill  in  the  foreshore  and  build  up  the 
banks,  thus  forming  a  more  regular  river  prism.  Such  a  project  carried 
out  with  due  regard  to  all  the  benefits  that  may  be  conferred,  will  reduce 
materially  the  problem  of  land  reclamation. 


If  the  valley  belonged  to  one  party,  there  conld  be  no  question  about 
the  carrying  out  of  some  such  program.  But  there  are  many  owner¬ 
ships,  varying  interests  and  diverse  mentalities,  and  it  may  be  neces¬ 
sary  to  invoke  the  strong  arm  of  the  State  to  insure  cooperation. 

20.  General  Remarks. 

In  May,  1889,  the  General  Assembly  declared,  among  other  things, 
that  the  policy  of  the  State  of  Illinois  is  to  procure  the  construction 
of  a  waterway  not  less  than  fourteen  feet  in  depth  throughout  the  river 
from  Lake  Joliet  to  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois,  designed  in  such  manner 
as  to  permit  progressive  development  to  a  greater  capacity.  At  that 
time  the  data  available  in  regard  to  the  removal  of  such  great  volumes 
of  material  in  similar  work  were  very  meagre,  the  most  pertinent  being 
the  experience  of  the  Canadian  engineers  in  dredging  alluvial  clays 
in  the  ship  channel  through  Lake  St.  Peters  in  the  Lower  St.  Lawrence. 

Eighteen  years  have  passed  and  projects  then  regarded  as  visionary 
by  many  have  come  to  be  accepted  by  all.  The  resources  of  engineering 
have  multiplied.  The  work  on  the  Chicago  Drainage  Canal  halved 
the  cost  of  rock  excavation  and  cheapened  earth  excavation.  Steam 
shovels  increased  from  twenty-five  ton  shovels  to  seventy-five  ton  shovels, 
and  hydraulic  dredging  was  greatly  developed,  an  art  little  known  and 
experimental  when  the  Sanitary  District  x\ct  was  passed.  Today  hy¬ 
draulic  dredges  are  built  that  will  handle  regularly  200,000  to  300,000 
yards  per  month  and  deliver  the  excavated  material  a  mile  away  through 
pipes  if  required,  and  at  a  fraction  of  former  cost  when  the  material 
is  suitable. 

Wonderful  results  are  being  obtained  by  hydraulic  dredging  in  the 
St.  Lawrence  and  elsewhere,  and  it  is  believed  that  no  better  material 
for  such  machines  was  ever  laid  down  than  that  in  the  bed  of  the  Illinois 
river  from  Utica  to  the  mouth.  It  is  not  too  much  to  presume,  there¬ 
fore,  that  the  eighteen  foot  channel,  with  the  lower  flow  line  suggested, 
can  be  carried  through  the  Lower  Illinois  for  the  sum  estimated  for  this 
division  of  the  route.  It  is  a  matter  of  the  proper  fleet  and  an  annual 
allowance  to  keep  it  busy. 

The  art  of  engineering  is  advancing  so  rapidly  that  the  dreams  of 
yesterday  are  sober  projects  tomorrow.  The  resources  and  wealth  of 
this  land  are  developing  with  like  speed.  Difficulties  that  seem  insur¬ 
mountable  at  a  distance  disappear  as  we  approach  them  closely.  A 
solution  that  is  desired  and  sought  is  usually  found,  and  the  spirit  of 
negation  generally  stands  for  mere  mental  limitation.  That  a  prop¬ 
osition  should  be  practicable  has  come  to  be  a  question  of  the  number 
of  people  who  think  it  worth  while. 

The  waterway  between  Lake  Michigan  and  the  Mississippi  river  be¬ 
comes  the  most  important  work  in  the  nation  whenever  the  Congress 
rises  to  the  policy  of  a  related  waterway  system,  as  distinguished  from 
an  amicable  distribution  of  public  funds  to  local  and  detached  works. 


57 


Part  IV.  Resume  and  Conclusions. 


21.  Lake  Illinois. 

The  depths  available  at  standard  low  water  of  the  great  lakes  (Re¬ 
port  International  Deep  Waterways  Commission,  1897)  are:  Saulte 
Ste.  Marie,  17.9  feet;  St..  Clair  flats,  18.8  feet;  Limekiln  crossing,  De¬ 
troit  river,  19.3  feet.  The  mean  stage  of  Lake  Michigan-Hnron  adds 
1.6  feet.  Lake  carriers  are  moulded  for  a  loaded  draft  of  eighteen  feet. 

The  increment  of  water  than  can  be  made  available  through*  existing 
works  at  Chicago  makes  practicable  throughout  the  Lower  Illinois  a 
minimum  depth  of  eighteen  feet  or  more.  The  normal  low  water  volume 
of  the  Illinois  will  increase  this  depth  and  it  will  also  increase  with  the 
increase  of  water  supply  due  to  higher  lake  stages,  so  that  the  entire 
route  of  367  miles  between  Lake  Michigan  at  Chicago  and  the  city  of 
St.  Louis  will  have  at  all  times  a  depth  equivalent  to  that  available  for 
lake  navigation. 

It  is  also  practicable  to  extend  the  depth  of  the  Chicago  Sanitary  and 
Ship  Canal,  or  twenty-four  feet,  throughout  the  Desplaines  and  Upper 
Illinois  and  down  to  the  city  of  Peoria,  170  miles  from  Lake  Michigan, 
and  its  extension  to  St.  Louis  is  a  matter  of  water  supply.  By  utilizing 
the  stages  of  water  in  the  eighteen  foot  channel  below  Peoria  this  depth 
may  be  carried  through  for  four  to  six  months  of  the  average  year.  Such 
a  depth  (twenty-four  feet  belowT  standard  low  water)  is  a  proper  depth 
for  lake  navigation  in  the  future,  to  be  reached  by  lake  regulation  and 
by  deeper  intermediate  channels. 

The  average  duration  of  ice  for  five  points — Chicago,  Morris,  Seneca, 
Peoria  and  Pearl — is  fifty  days  (Jan.  3-Feb.  22)  and  ranges  througout 
January  and  February  for  the  several  localities.  Such  ice  as  would  in¬ 
terfere  with  navigation  does  not  occur  in  some  years  and  in  others  the 
route  could  be  kept  open  by  means  of  ice  breaking  boats.  The  Chicago 
Drainage  Canal  has  not  been  frozen  over  in  eight  winter  seasons  since 
January,  1900.  The  fire  tugs  have  patrolled  Chicago  river  for  many 
seasons  and  Lake  Michigan  is  navigated  throughout  the  winter.  Lake 
Superior  is  closed  at  the  Soo  for  an  average  of  142  days,  or  the  season 
of  navigation  scarcely  exceeds  seven  months,  as  against  ten  to  twelve 
for  the  southern  route.  Lake  Michigan  is  shut  off  from  Lake  Erie  for 
120  days,  and  this  is  the  best  that  can  be  had  in  a  waterway  to  the 
Hudson  river,  while  by  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Montreal  the  period  is 
130  days.  In  other  worls,  ice  will  close  an  eastern  route  for  four  months 
or  more,  as  against  two  months  or  less  for  the  southern  route. 


The  Illinois  waterway  between  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  developed  as 
proposed,  adds  the  equivalent  of  another  lake,  more  resourceful  than  any 
of  the  great  lakes  system.  Its  utility  is  enhanced  rather  than  impaired 
by  the  fact  that  its  banks  are  within  bridging  distance  and  the  people 
of  opposite  shores  may  have  a  community  of  interest  rather  than  alien 
diversity.  If  this  waterway  was  isolated  and  had  only  the  minor  tribu¬ 
taries  of  its  local  basin,  it  would  be  on  a  par  with  the  other  great  lakes, 
and  certainly  the  fact  that  it  connects  on  the  south  with  over  15,000 
miles  of  navigable  waters  cannot  be  urged  in  disparagement.  The  great 
lakes  have  no  adequate  connection  with  the  eastern  seaboard,  either  by 
way  of  the  St.  Lawrence  or  the  Hudson,  the  one  now  under  way  is  not 
commensurate,  and  an  adequate  outlet  is  not  even  promoted,  and  yet 
this  does  not  distract  attention  from  the  importance  of  the  lakes  them¬ 
selves,  and  no  such  argument  can  be  seriously  advanced  against  the 
utility  of  this  new  lake,  with  its  far  more  adequate  seaboard  outlet. 
That  there  is  now  no  great  commerce  along  the  route  and  between  the 
two  great  cities  at  its  termini  is  a  chief  reason  for  and  not  against  this 
waterway.  The  wise  promoter  projects  his  transportation  lines  into  re¬ 
sourceful  lands  for  the  purpose  of  developing  commerce.  If  they  are 
already  fully  developed  there  is  no  justification. 

The  Illinois  waterway  joins  the  two  metropolitan  -cities  of  the  con¬ 
tinental  interior,  and  in  the  367  miles  of  its  length  passes  through  the 
most  resourceful  section  of  the  Mississippi  valley.  It  crosses  the  middle 
of  the  great  American  corn  belt.  It  passes  through  manufacturing 
towns — Joliet,  with  its  steel  and  wire  mills;  Morris;  Ottawa,  with  its 
glass  sands;  LaSalle  and  Peru,  with  their  zinc  smelters;  Peoria  and 
Pekin,  with  distilleries  that  pay  one-third  the  internal  revenue  tax  of 
the  United  States ;  Havana ;  Beardstown ;  Grafton,  with  its  quarries ; 
and  Alton.  The  Illinois  valley  counties  contain  some  of  the  best  coals 
in  the  State,  which  can  be  connected  with  the  river  by  short  sections  of 
railway  and  loaded  directly  into  coal  barges. 

All  these  capabilities  will  be  greatly  stimulated  and  multiplied  by  the 
development  of  140,000  horse  power  in  the  Desplaines  and  Upper  Illi¬ 
nois  valley,  the  creation  of  an  industrial  situation  which  of  itself  justi¬ 
fies  both  lake  and  river  transportation.  The  350,000  acres  of  alluvial 
lands  to  be  bettered  and  reclaimed  and  available  for  high  class  truck 
farming,  and  the  80,000  acres  of  water  with  a  fish  crop  only  second  to 
that  of  the  Columbia,  are  resources  not  to  be  overlooked.  There  are 
several  tributaries  that  can  he  developed  as  feeders,  and  there  is  also 
the  Hennepin  canal  from  the  Upper  Mississippi. 

The  Illinois  waterway  is  along  the  line  of  primary  markets — Duluth, 
Milwaukee,  Chicago,  Peoria,  Quincy  and-  St.  Louis — the  places  where 
commodities  are  actually  bought,  warehoused  and  held  for  future  sale 
and  delivery,  and  where  the  holder  may  choose  in  forwarding  by  water 
or  rail.  This  is  the  line  of  pooling  points  for  the  eastern  trunk  lines 
and  the  division  in  freight  classification  between  the  eastern  and  western 
roads.  All  the  east  and  west  traffic  of  the  United  States  sweeps  through 
the  neck  of  land  between  Chicago  and  St.  Louis.  From  everv  stand- 

ej  ty 


59 


point  of  traffic  movement,  the  Illinois  waterway  is  on  the  one  location 
of  advantage  in  the  long  distance  hauls,  to  gather  traffic  and  profoundly 
affect  commercial  movement. 


22.  The  Mississippi  Outlet. 

From  St.  Louis  to  Cairo  is  the  link  of  186  miles  which  joins  the 
northern  river  system  to  the  southern  system,  and  from  Cairo  is  1,072 
miles  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  from  Lake  Michigan,  1,625  miles.  The 
criterion  for  the  route  is  what  may  he  had  through  the  Middle  Missis¬ 
sippi  from  St.  Louis  to  Cairo.  The  natural  deptli  available  is  about 
twelve  feet  for  five  months  of  the  average  year.  Assuming  the  river  to 
be  so  regularized  as  to  give  a  minimum  of  eight  feet  with  the  natural 
low  water  volume,  and  restrain  the  bar  horizon  below  a  fixed  plane,  the 
Chicago  increment  should  add  about  two  feet.  Fourteen  feet  would 
then  obtain  for  about  nine  months  and  eighteen  feet  for  over  six  months. 
A  like  increment  from  reservoirs  at  headwater  of  the  Upper.  Mississippi 
would  prolong  these  periods  by  more  than  a  month.  Such  periods  can 
be  compared  favorably  with  the  open  season  of  the  northern  lakes. 
During  the  low  water  season  hydraulic  dredges  can  keep  open  a  four¬ 
teen  foot  channel.  During  the  high  water  depths  greater  than  eighteen 
feet  will  be  available.  All  these  estimates  are  tentative,  but  there  is  no 
reason  to  doubt  the  possibility  of  obtaining  available  depths  in  the  Mis¬ 
sissippi  if  the  problem  is  entered  upon  with  serious  determination. 

It  may  be  well  to  point  out  in  this  connection  that  a  commensurate 
waterway  will  have  a  greater  low  water  depth  at  the  northern  end, 
where  the  fiuctations  are  within  narrow  limits.  A  waterway  with  a 
uniform  depth  under  the  average  stage  is  a  more  rational  proposition 
than  one  carrying  only  such  depth  througout  as  obtains  at  low  water 
under  moderate  improvement  in  the  Middle  and  Lower  Mississippi. 

With  such  improvement  of  the  Mississippi  as  has  been  indicated,  the 
lake  marine  can  he  employed  on  the  high  seas  and  in  the  coasting  trade 
for  four  to  five  winter  months.  If  they  have  to  pass  down  partly  loaded 
in  the  early  winter,  they  can  usually  return  with  a  full  cargo  on  the 
spring  rises.  The  lake  shipbuilders  can  also  deliver  their  output  in 
competition  with  coast  yards  and  even  undersell  the  foreign  builders. 

Xo  one  deprecates  the  utility  of  an  available  outlet  to*  the  sea  for  the 
great  lakes  region.  Xorth  and  south  commerce  is  an  incident  of  clim¬ 
atic  difference  in  product,  when  population  has  ceased  to  be  migratory 
along  parallels  of  latitude.  This  will  grow  in  importance  as  the  country 
ages,  and  the  lakes  and  gulf  waterway  will  be  the  artery  of  such  a  move¬ 
ment. 

South  from  St.  Louis  and  east  and  west  of  the  Mississippi  river  is  the 
great  undeveloped  region  of  the  United  States,  with  more  resources  unex¬ 
ploited  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  domain.  The  timber  of  this  region 
is  needed  in  the  north.  The  alluvial  lands  below  Cairo  embrace  20,- 
000,000  acres,  an  area  four  times  as  great  as  the  arable  land  of  Egypt 
and  under  a  climate  as  favorable.  It  must  be  protected  and  the  river 
fixed  in  its  course,  which  also  means  its  improvement.  These  are  the 
cotton  fields  of  the  future,  and  natural lv  it  goes  to  the  northern  water 


GO 


power  at  the  homes  of  the  mill  population  of  a  more  temperate  climate. 

All  the  possibilities  do  not  have  to  be  developed  in  a  day.  We  need 
to  know'  what  they  now  are  and  what  they  may  become  with  the  grow¬ 
ing  art  of  engineering  and  the  growth  in  resources,  in  order  to  properly 
project  the  permanent  works,  so  a  progressive  development  may  follow. 

23.  Co-Operation. 

In  early  days  the  Federal  Government  made  grants  of  land  from  the 
public  domain  to  assist  states  in  constructing  canals,  and  under  such 
grants,  canals  were  built  in  the  states  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois  and 
Wisconsin,  and  the  original  canal  at  Saulte  Ste.  Marie  by  the  state  of 
Michigan..  The  Illinois  waterway  was  authorized  by  Congress  in  1822 
and  1827,  and  the  present  enterprise  is  simply  the  outgrowth  of  modern 
conditions  and  an  adaptation  to  the  needs  in  sight — in  fact,  a  fuller  ex¬ 
pression  of  the  purposes  of  the  original  promotion  and  the  intent  of 
Congress.  From  the  beginning,  this  waterway  has  been  recognized  as 
of  national  importance,  and  even  of  international  concern. 

The  State  of  Illinois,  in  response  to  the  treaty  of  Washington,  (May 
8,  1871)  by  Act  of  the  General  Assembly,  approved  April  4,  1872, 
granted  “the  use  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal,  and  all  other  canals 
that  may  be  constructed  by  this  State”  to  the  citizens  of  the  Dominion 
of  Canada,  on  equal  terms  with  citizens  of  the  United  States. 

It  is  not  proposed  here  to  discuss  recent  international  phases  of  this 
enterprise  further  than  to  say :  The  State  of  Illinois  has  acted  under 
proper  federal  authority  and  within  her  sovereign  sphere;  she  has  the 
right  to  invoke  the  spirit  of  comity  between  public  utilities;  aside  from 
its  incidental  use,  the  investments  for  all  the  people  and  under  federal 
control;  and  the  damages  are  nominal  in  comparison  to  the  benefits, 
and  can  be  readily  compensated  by  such  works  as  should  be  a  part  of  any 
scheme  for  deeper  navigation  in  the  Great  Lakes.  It  is  presumed  that 
the  international  consideration  proceeds  under  a  spirit  of  comity  and 
not  on  any  basis  of  international  law,  and  that  no  sovereign  rights  are 
to  be  surrendered,  certainly  none  in  derogation  of  the  rights  of  states, 
that  the  issues  reduce  to  a  matter  of  remedies,  and  that  there  is  no 
disposition  to  indict  the  enterprise  because  it  was  not  queered  by  con¬ 
sulting  everybody  in  advance.  As  long  as  the  enterprise  continues  along 
lines  of  sound  public  policy,  there  is  no  reason  for  apprehension. 

After  the  civil  war,  1866-9.  The  United  States  made  surveys  of  the 
route,  and  later  of  the  northern  section  as  part  of  the  northern  trans¬ 
portation  route  to  the  seaboard,  all  for  the  extension  of  steamboat  navi¬ 
gation  of  six  to  seven  feet  to  Lake  Michigan  at  Chicago.  The  State 
constructed  the  locks  and  dams  at  Henry  and  Copperas  Creek  out  of 
surplus  canal  revenues.  Later  the  United  States  undertook  the  works 
at  LaGrange  and  Kampsville  (opened  in  1889  and  1893)  and  completed 
the  same,  notwithstanding  the  protest  of  1889,  the  State  having  changed 
its  policy  to  a  deep  waterway,  not  less  than  fourteen  feet  deep,  in  con¬ 
junction  with  a  water  supply  from  Lake  Michigan.  This  change  in 
policy  and  the  work  that  followed  on  the  Chicago  Divide  occasioned 


61 


a  hostile  attitude,  expressed  through  the  local  army  engineer  at  Chicago, 
and  in  recent  years  only  (since  1898-9)  has  consideration  for  the  policy 
of  the  State  of  Illinois  been  shown  by  the  federal  authorities.  Friction 
and  strife  have  also  existed  between  the  'trustees  of  the  Sanitary  Dis- 

« j 

trict  of  Chicago  and  the  State  Canal  Commissioners. 

All  these  matters  have  embarassed  the  waterway  project.  It  may  be 
that  the  local  outlook  has  at  times  been  too  narrow  and  has  resulted 
in  delays  and  wastefulness.  It  may  be  also  that  all  the  friction,  strife 
and  controversy  has  been  necessary  and  only  exhibits  the  American 
fashion  of  debating  grave  issues,  and  that,  after  all,  we  are  only  now 
prepared  to  clearly  present  the  right  thing  and  have  it  generally  ac¬ 
cepted.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  question  of  divided  jurisdiction  with 
diverse  purposes,  is  one  for  consideration.  At  present  the  United  States 
has  charge  of  the  Illinois  river  below  Copperas  Creek,  and  approves  the 
plans  for  the  Chicago  river  improvement.  The  State  looks  after  the 
locks  and  dams  at  Henry  and  Copperas  Creek  and  the  Illinois  and 
Michigan  Canal.  An  agency  of  the  State,  the  Sanitary  District  of  Chi¬ 
cago,  controls  the  ship  canal  between  Chicago  and  Joliet,  and  may  enter 
upon  the  river  below  to  remove  obstructions,  or  do  such  work  as  will 
avoid  overflow  consequent  upon  introducing  water  into  the  Desplaines 
and  Illinois  rivers. 

That  this  divided  jurisdiction  and  diversity  of  purpose  can  be  co¬ 
operated  with  proper  regard  for  the  vested  rights  of  the  State  and  the 
federal  control  of  navigation  is  not  unreasonable.  As  an  instance  of 
such  cooperation,  the  lowering  of  the  Kampsville  dam  is  notable.  The 
crest  of  this  structure  was  lowered  two  feet  by  the  Sanitary  District  of 
Chicago,  under  Act  of  Congress,  to  reduce  the  overflow  of  marginal 
lands  and  to  relieve  the  district  from  claims  for  overflow  damages. 

The  cooperation  most  effective  and  most  to  be  desired  is  federal  ac¬ 
quiescence. 

24.  Illinois. 

The  creative  forces  of  the  continent  made  the  region  of  the  Great 
Lakes  a  part  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  and  Professor  G.  K.  Gilbert,  U. 
S.  Geologist,  fixes  the  time  when  it  will  return  to  its  ancient  outlet.  It 
lies  within  the  art  and  the  resources  of  the  present  day  to  divide  the 
outflow  of  the  Great  Lakes,  so  as  to  give  deep  water  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  without  impairing  any  of  the  possibilities  for  deep  water  to  the 
Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence. 

What  is  feasible  from  the  Great  Lakes  to  the  eastern  seaboard  has 
been  the  subject  of  elaborate  technical  investigation,  and  is  well  un¬ 
derstood.  This  report  indicates  what  may  be  practicable  for  the  southern 
half  of  the  continental  route.  From  the  standpoint  of  the  engineer  and 
from  that  of  the  financier,  a  deep  waterway  from  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  is  practicable,  and  the  statesmanship  of 
two  nations  should  be  broad  enough  to  bring  it  to  pass. 

The  Illinois  waterway  between  Chicago  and  St,  Louis  is  the  middle 
division  between  the  two  seaports,  Montreal  and  New  Orleans.  The 
outlet  which  has  been  opened  across  the  Chicago  Divide  from  the  basin 


« 


62 


of  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  basin  of  the  Mississippi,  makes  it  now  prac¬ 
ticable  to  develope  the  Illinois  waterway  on  the  scale  of  lake  navigation. 
Illinois  is  perhaps  more  interested  than  any  other  State  in  the  extension 
of  her  waterway  to  both  the  eastern  and  the  southern  seas. 

Illinois  is  not  only  in  the  most  favored  position  on  the  great  trunk 
waterway,  but  her  position  in  relation  to  the  primary  laterals  is  equally 
significant.  All  the  waters  that  drain  the  western  slopes  of  the  Alle¬ 
gheny  Mountains  from  Northern  Alabama  and  Georgia  to  Western  New 
York,  come  to  her  shores  through  the  Tennessee,  the  Cumberland  and 
the  Ohio,  with  their  many  navigable  tributaries.  The  Missouri  brings 
the  eastern  slopes  of  the  Kocky  Mountains  and  the  great  plains  from 
Kansas  to  the  Canadian  northwest.  From  the  Winnipeg  basin  in  the  far 
north  the  water  route  comes  southward  by  the  Minnesota  and  the  Upper 
Mississippi.  All  possible  water  routes  between  the  basin  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  and  the  basin  of  the  Mississippi  trail  her  borders,  whether 
from  Lake  Superior  or  Green  Bay  to  the  Upper  Mississippi,  or  from 
Lake  Erie  by  the  Ohio  or  Wabash.  At  Cairo,  Illinois  stands  at  the 
head  of  rich  low  lands,  and  another  river  system  reaching  to  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico.  Half  the  waters  of  the  United  States  gravitate  to  the  shores 
of  Illinois,  and  she  is  the  natural  focus  of  a  waterwav  system  contin¬ 
ental  in  scope.  No  other  State  is  to  be  more  benefited  by  a  broad 
waterway  policy,  national  and  international. 

Illinois  within  her  borders  has  many  streams  as  available  as  some  that 
find  their  way  into  the  river  and  harbor  bills,  and  she  lias  favorable 
topography  for  uniting  the  same  into  a  domestic  waterway  system  when¬ 
ever  economic  conditions  justify.  She  is  therefore  in  position  to  ex¬ 
tend  the  benefits  of  a  national  waterway  system  to  all  sections  of  her 
domain. 

There  is  every  reason  for  the  State  of  Illinois  to  earnestly  lead  in  the 
promotion  of  a  national  waterway  policy,  and  there  is  also  every  reason 
for  her  to  set  an  example  to  sister  states  in  a  domestic  waterway  de¬ 
velopment,  When  the  United  States  has  developed  a  comprehensive 
plan  and  adopted  a  systematic  policy,  we  must  expect  the  national  func¬ 
tion  to  be  restricted  to  the  broad  outlines  and  arteries  of  a  system,  and 
that  local  waterways  and  ports  will  be  relegated  to  the  states.  When 
some  such  program  shall  come  to  pass  Illinois  will  receive  the  recogni¬ 
tion  to  which  she  is  entitled  by  reason  of  her  potential  position. 

Meantime  it  may  be  worth  while  to  consider  whether  the  State  of 
Illinois  should  not,  through  some  appropriate  agency,  undertake  the 
development  of  the  route  through  the  State,  receiving  from  the  United 
States  such  subsidy  as  it  may  choose  to  give.  There  may  be  hidden 
wisdom  in  such  self-reliance  as  has  marked  the  policy  of  the  state  of 
New  York,  and  it  may  be  that  the  example  and  influence  of  two  such 
states  will  lie  sufficient  to  lead  the  Federal  Government  into  a  national 
waterway  policy. 


APPENDIX 


65 


Chicago,  III.,  Sept.  2,  1908. 

Honorable  Commissioners,  Internal  Improvement  Commission  of  Illi¬ 
nois  : 

Gentlemen — I  submit  herewith  statement  of  work  done  and  moneys 
expended  on  the  Shawneetown  levee  improvement. 

Bids  were  opened  for  this  work  on  Aug.  22,  1907,  and  were  as  follows : 

McCann  Bros . 49*4  cents  per  cu.  yd. 

Costello  Bros . 51%  cents  per  cn.  yd. 

Cash  &  Moulton  . 53%  cents  per  cu.  yd. 

These  bids  were  all  rejected  as  too  high,  and  after  further  advertising 
bids  were  again  opened  on  September  3,  1907,  as  follows : 

McCann  Bros . 44%  cents  per  cu.  yd. 

Fisher  (McCann  Bros.)  . . . 45%  cents  per  cu.  yd. 

These  bids  were  rejected  as  too  high  on  October  7,  1907,  and  on  Oct. 
1,  1907,  by  direction  of  your  honorable  body,  Mr.  T.  W.  Clayton  was  in¬ 
structed  to  proceed  with  the  work  bv  force  account.  Active  construction 
was  started  on  October  9th,  and  the  work  carried  on  continuously  to 
December  31st,  when  it  was  closed  down  for  the  winter. 

Work  was  resumed  on  June  4,  1908,  and  carried  on  continuously  to 
completion  on  August  21,  1908. 

The  following  table  shows  the  location  of  tills,  yardage  and  haul : 


Location  of  Fill. 

Yardage. 

Haul. 

Sta.  78—  88 . 

10. 050 
i,  955 
140 

55 

45 
5,810 
3,130 
16. 200 
950 

1,700 

3,300 

3.800 

4,200 

1,900 

1,400 

1,250 

1,150 

2.100 

101—108+50 . 

Ill— Old  Cellar . 

115 — Cellar . 

134 — Cellar . 

144—151 . 

153—158 . 

30—  38 . •... 

54—  56 . 

Average  haul . . . 

38, 955 

1,466 

The  location  of  fills  may  be  found  on  the  accompanying  map  by 
reference  to  stations  described  in  the  above  tabulation. 


Pa  rolls 
To<  s 


Construction  Cost  Exclusive  of  Administration. 

. $14,731  07 

.  293  84 


Total 


$14,924  91 


-5  L  G 


# 


66 


Fair  auction  value  of  tools  turned  over  to  city  of  Shawneetown  and 


inventory  attached  .  120  00 

Total  . $14,804  91 

Cost  per  cubic  yard  . . . 38.03  cents 

Lowest  bid  received  . . 44y2  cents 


A  statement  of  money  expended  is  attached  hereto,  and  yon  will  note 
that  the  appropriation  of  $17,000.00  has  been  fully  expended. 

A  statement  of  all  disbursements  has  been  filed  with  the  State 
Auditor. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

Robert  Isham  Randolph, 

Secretary. 


Inventory  of  Tools  Turned  Over  to  City  of  Shawneetown. 

10  drag  scrapers. 

1  6-horse  plow. 

1  4-horse  plow. 

51  No.  2  shovels  (good.) 

6  No.  2  shovels  (cracked.) 

4  spades. 

3  grubbing  hoes. 

1  axe. 

2  monkey  wrenches. 

3  water  buckets  and  dippers. 

2  6  ft.  tool  boxes  with  locks. 

1  12  ft.  x  14  ft.  wall  tent. 

Lumber  for  two  loading  traps. 


I 


% 


t 


6? 


DISBURSEMENTS  SHAWNEETOWN  LEVEE 

APPROPRIATION. 


1907 

July 

Sept. 


Nov. 


Dec. 


1908 

Jan. 


June 

July 


Aug. 


11 

23 


2 

4 

4 

4 

4 

4 

4 

4 

4 

4 

4 

6 

7 

7 

7 

20 

22 

24 

24 

22 

31 

31 

31 

31 

31 

31 

31 

31 

31 

31 


Isham  Randolph,  money  advanced... 

Evansville  Courier,  advertising . 

Engineering  Contracting,  advertising 

Globe  Printing  Co.,  advertising . 

Christian  &  Carver,  tool  boxes . 

A.  M.  L.  McBane,  deed  to  property  .. 
Mrs.  J.  M.  Morris,  deed  to  property.. 

Robinson  Bros.,  merchandise . 

A.  K.  Lowe’s  Sons,  merchandise . 

Lowe  &  Hubbard,  merchandise . 

Geo.  Wiederholt.  merchandise....... 

Chas.  Carroll,  merchandise . 

Chas.  Carroll,  merchandise . 

J.  W.  Quick,  blacksmithing . 

Bruns  &  Bowersock,  lumber . 

V.  McMurchy,  materials . 

October  payrolls . 

Lou  Mean,  one  heavy  plow . 

Tom  Guest,  rent  of  plows . 

John  Green,  rent  of  plows . 

United  States  Express  Co.,  express... 

Dr.  Froelich . 

November  15th  payroll . 

JohnSporks.  pump . 

November  30th  payroll . 

John  Sporks,  balance  on  pump . 

Lowe  &  Hubbard,  merchandise . 

Robinson  Bros,  merchandise . 

A.  K.  Lowe  &  Sons,  merchandise... 

Chas.  Carroll,  merchandise . 

A.  T.  Spivey,  printing . 

J.  W.  Quick,  blacksmithing . 

Bruns  &  Bowersock,  lumber . 

December  15th  payroll . 

December  3lst  payroll . 


27 

30 

30 

30 


T.  W.  Clayton,  salary  November,  December  and  January 

T.  W.  Clayton,  expense  account . ' . 

John  Peeples,  wages  engineer  assistant . 

Chas.  Colvard,  wages  engineer  assistant . 

Wm.  F.  Carney,  wages  engineer  assistant . 


25iPayroll  to  June  15. 

2  Payroll  to  June  30 . 

Lowe  &  Hubbard,  tools... 
Porter  Davis,  shelter  tent. 
17  Payroll  to  July  15 . 


18 

18 


99 

25 


Payroll  to  July  31  _ _ 

T.  W.  Clayton,  salary  and  expenses  June  and  July. 

Marshall  Wisehard,  deed  to  land . 

Tsham  Randolph,  instruments . 

Payroll  to  August  15 . 

Shawneetown  News  Gleaner . 

Gallatin  Democrat . 

Robinson  Bros . 

Ham  &  Ham . . "... 

Express . 

Payroll,  final . 

T.  W.  Clayton,  August  salary  and  expenses . 

Stamps . 


$  475 

12 

29 

75 

42 

00 

45 

00 

6 

00 

100 

00 

50 

00 

23 

50 

16 

40 

16 

30 

50 

50 

4 

00 

2 

CO 

11 

85 

40 

18 

9 

65 

3,215 

46 

10 

00 

1 

00 

50 

60 

1 

00 

2,279 

67 

4 

00 

1,278 

65 

2 

00 

3 

00 

1 

66 

22 

90 

65 

6 

50 

12 

10 

29 

49 

1,777 

49 

144 

56 

314 

50 

12 

50 

54 

00 

15 

00 

4 

00 

286 

15 

851 

25 

4 

15 

10 

00 

976 

51 

1,715 

33 

316 

47 

300 

00 

30 

00 

1,670 

59 

2 

15 

2 

40 

15 

36 

6 

50 

3 

40 

533 

35 

165 

60 

2 

51 

$17,000 

00 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


3  0112  121911603 


■ 

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■ 


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fSs 


